POTKM Volume 6: The Great Bathhouse Battle
by AndrewK9000
Summary: Sora and the gang travel to Yubaba's Bathhouse to find Kairi, while also battling the insidious forces of Gorgom and Dai-Shocker, while Kairi has stumbled into Rapunzel and Eugene. Heroes from across time and space will be drawn into this cataclysmic conflict where the fate of existence and the life of Kairi shall be weighed in the balance. Who will survive?
1. Prolog: Missions Within Missions

_Greetings fellow readers and writers! This is the sixth volume of Path of the Keyblade Master and I hope you like it! Okay, we're right where we left off at the end of volume 5 in the world of Monster High. But now we're delving into a different world, one of fantasy and wonder, the world of Miyazaki's Spirited Away, while also containing elements and characters of Tangled, Yu Yu Hakusho, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Kamen Rider Black, while also having stuff from Harry Potter and Monster High, albeit to a slightly lesser degree than last volume. Time wise, this volume takes place five years after the events of Spirited Away, just after the short sequel to Tangled, Tangled Ever After, between Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Black RX, after Season 3 of MLP: FIM and in between the story arcs 'Rescue Yukina' and 'The Dark Tournament' in Yu Yu Hakusho._

_Once again I must point out that because I'm blending in so much and making a few chances so the different elements and themes mix properly, some of you may not like this story. Some of you might downright hate it. Well, that's your prerogative, it is a free country. But don't clog up the reviews with negative rants on how awful the story is. If you don't like it, don't read it. Just so long as everyone remembers that __**THIS IS FANFICTION!**_

_Now, I don't owe any of the stuff in this fic except for my original characters Everything else belongs to their respective copyright owners, so please don't sue me, I'm just trying to tell a good story. And now, the saga of Kingdom Hearts continues_…

**Prolog: Missions Within Missions**

…**Waldorf-Astoria Hotel…Manhattan…**

"Are you listening to me, Sora? Sora?"

Sora broke out of his fugue at the sound of Alegra's voice. For a second he had forgotten where he was. Sora then remembered that he, his fellow Keyblade Wielders, his allies in The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense and several goodhearted Monsters, had left the underground chamber in Central Park and relocated to the secret floors in The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel that The Bureau used as it's New York City headquarters. "Huh? Oh, sorry! I was thinking…"

"About Kairi, yes?" Alegra asked, "well, I did promise that you and Kairi would be together again, that your bond would be stronger than ever. I keep my promises."

"But first we have to be Alegra's errand runners again," said an irate Tess. She, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé and Sora were in a meeting room in one of the three secret floors of the hotel that The Bureau used.

"Yes, but this time, you know what's coming," said Alegra.

"You don't have to remind us what's on the line," said Riku.

Sora would be hard pressed to forget the events of the past two days, especially what happened the night before.

Sora, Tess, Riku and Malcolm had chased after Kairi, whose mind had been cursed by Maleficent. A freak accident at Hogwarts had caused them to fall into a world where Monsters lived alongside humans, or Normies as they're called, while The Bureau acted as enforcers of the law, intervening when a Monster is corrupted from his, her or its own good nature and descends into the darkness.

Kairi had, quite literarily, fallen on top one of those goodhearted Monsters, one Frankie Stein. Kairi felt assured by Frankie and her fellow Monsters that they would keep her safe and welcomed her as a friend, while Sora and his group joined forces with The Bureau, meeting several alternate versions of The Ramblers that they had already met.

Sora's group wound up helping The Bureau protect the last intact copy of The Necronomicon as it was put on display at a museum. But the gala was crashed by alternate versions of The Trix, whom murdered two Bureau agents and kidnapped Jill's adopted daughter Violet Baudelaire, whom had grabbed The Necronomicon and was, seemingly, protected by the dark book.

At the same time, Kairi and her new friends were attacked by a group of drug-addled Monster Haters whom sought to cleanse the world of Monsters. One thing lead to another, resulting in the two groups teaming up to fight their combined enemies. The Trix and The Monster Haters planned to sacrifice Violet and two others to Yog-Sothoth in exchange for power.

The crisis was made even more complicated when it was revealed that Solaris Pretorius, a consultant scientist for The Bureau and co-creator of Frankie, was in fact in cahoots with The Trix and Monster Haters. Then things were made even more complicated when Count Olaf revealed himself as the true mastermind of the crisis, hoping that Yog-Sothoth would make him a living god.

Solaris then revealed that she had set the villains up for an epic fail. One thing lead to another, resulting in our heroes destroying most of the Monster Haters, while the alternate Icy and Darcy were slain and the alternate Stormy captured. Violet and her fellow sacrifices were rescued before Olaf could use The Necronomicon, but then the insidious actor murdered Shawn Ohmsford, just when Shawn and Violet realized their true love.

Her heart shattering, Violet shot Olaf and was ready to finish him off. It was then revealed that everything had been set up by the vile Columbina, a mysterious woman whom sought to corrupt Violet, whom was a potential Princess of Heart. Columbina's plan involved fracturing Violet's heart, then turning her to the darkness by committing an act of evil; murdering Olaf in cold blood. The effect of which would have rendered Violet into a Princess of Dark.

With the help of Jill and everyone who loved her, Violet cast aside her vengeance, while Solaris took her revenge on Olaf. Columbina then tried to kill Violet but her attempts at murder were thwarted by our heroes. But in the process, Kairi, whom had her cursed memories suppressed so she could function in the mission, had her defiled memories returned and she was terrified of Sora and the others again. Columbina then summoned a portal that Kairi fled into. The vile woman then taunted Sora with the thought that he would never see Kairi again.

That's when Alegra showed up, challenging Columbina to find Kairi first. If Alegra got to her first, the curse on Kairi's mind would be lifted and the bond between her and Sora would be stronger than ever. If Columbina found Kairi first, then Kairi would be destroyed forever. At the same time, both Alegra and Columbina put a mysterious item into the pot, an item that only they know the truth of, something that Columbina desperately needs.

Columbina then vanished, while Alegra told Sora and the others that she knows how to find Kairi, but first they have to help her. Failing to see an alternative, Sora and the others agreed to assist Alegra in her task.

That was a few hours ago. The Bureau had secured the few Monster Haters whom had surrendered, while additional agents were on the hunt for the few Monster Haters who fled. The leader of the Monster Haters, Lucas Vega, had been driven completely insane as a result of the final battle and was locked up in a secure holding cell, while the captured Stormy was in the medical wing of the hotel headquarters, unconscious from her part in the battle.

"I know you're upset about what happened, Sora," said Alegra, "I know you want to go rescue Kairi now and damn the consequences. But you can't, not while she is still under the curse."

"Which is why we have to find her before she gets worse!" said Sora, "before she goes complete nuts! Before that evil, evil Columbina finds her first!"

"We will find her first," said Alegra, "but not until all is in place, not until I have brought in the right people to cure her mind and counter whatever Columbina is planning. Any missteps and Kairi will be lost to us forever, while at the same time, Columbina will have acquired that which will make her utterly invincible."

"Just what is this thing that she needs?" Aiden asked, "and just who or what is Columbina."

"You'll be the first I tell when I figure that out," said Alegra, "she's still a mystery, one that I fully intend to solve. As to what she needs, I truly don't have it, whatever _'it' _is. But whatever _'it' _is, I gave my word that I would give _'it' _to her. I suspect that it is an item that only a time traveler, such as myself, can get."

"And what about making Sora and Kairi's bond stronger?" Tess asked.

"That'll have to wait until we save her," said Alegra, "but first thing's first; your mission."

"Hold on a second," said Malcolm, "Sora may have agreed to help you, but not me. I've got my own problems to worry about."

"Malcolm!" exclaimed Tess, "I thought we were a team!"

"We are," said Malcolm, "but I can't waste time being manipulated by 'Ms. Manipulator' here." he then tapped his head, "I've got the identities of the new Princesses of Heart in this noggin and I can't remember any of them. I've got to work my way around my blackouts before Columbina finds another potential Princess and turns her to the darkness."

"If you had been paying attention, Malcolm," said Alegra, "you would have heard me when I said that your problem would be solved as well. In time, the memories that you lost to your blackouts will be restored. But first, you Keyblade Wielders have a little job to do."

"A job that doesn't make sense," said Riku, "why do you want us to go to a bathhouse?"

"Not that we wouldn't mind going to a bathhouse," said Aiden, "especially one that's part of some kind of resort. But still, there's a time and a place for everything."

"All too true," said Alegra. She then sighed and sat in one of the chairs situated around a large table in the room, "look, we can argue back and forth until the next Mayan Long Count comes around and it won't do a damn bit of good to anyone, except for Columbia. The longer we delay, the closer she gets to getting what she needs in place to win."

"And just what do you need to get in place for you to win?" Tess asked, "besides gambling with Kairi's life and ours."

"I've got people to see," said Alegra, "favors to call in and alliances to make. Columbina is, no doubt, going to throw some of the most vile villains and malicious minions she can get her hands on at you guys and I've got to counter her."

Alegra then looked at Tess, "look, I know you're still pissed at me. I accept that, and I accept that you'll probably never forgive me. But for the moment, at least until Kairi is safe, cast aside your animosity for me."

"She's our best chance at saving Kairi," said Sora, "I don't like any more than you do, Tess, but what choice do we have?"

"None," said Tess, "which sucks," she then sat down, "but that doesn't mean we can't cooperate."

"Then I'll explain things more clearly," said Alegra, "this isn't an ordinary bathhouse you'll be visiting. It's a bathhouse for spirits. Not ghosts, but creatures that are the embodiment of living things; animals, plants, mountains, rivers, lakes and everyday objects come to life. These spirits visit the bathhouse to rejuvenate their powers and energies. It's all part of the great pattern of life that keeps existence in balance.

"This bathhouse is accessed on a specific parallel world in a village in Japan. This village will be your first stop. From there you are to locate one Ognio Chihiro, a young woman whom has had experience with this bathhouse in her childhood. She will show you the way into the sprit realm."

"Anything else we need to know about this Ognio Chihiro?" Riku asked.

"Three things," said Alegra, "one, she's a Karate black belt. Two, she's very passionate about protecting the environment and cleaning up pollution."

"Sounds like a really great girl," said Tess.

"She's a good person with a great heart," said Alegra, "stubborn, freely speaks her mind, ready to do the right thing and always learns from her mistakes. But here's the most important thing; it's imperative that she survives what is to come. No matter what, Ognio Chihiro must not die."

"So we've got to protect her," said Riku, "and this will help us save Kairi?"

"In the long run, yes," said Alegra, "now, after you've arrived in the spirit realm and reached the bathhouse, you are to make contact with the bathhouse owner, the witch Yubaba. She's a…difficult one, that she is."

"How difficult?" Sora asked cautiously.

"She'll do just about anything to earn a profit," said Alegra, "greed is her favorite sin. She's also very cunning. No matter what, do not let her try to make a deal with you, especially if it involves writing your name on a contract."

"What's so bad about that?" Sora asked.

"I can guess," said Malcolm.

"Aside from being an accomplished magic user," said Alegra, "Yubaba has the power to steal your name. If she takes your name, you'll be her slave until she releases you."

"I guessed right," said Malcolm.

"She can't do that!" exclaimed Tess, "I just found out my real family name. I don't want anyone to take it away from me."

"Then don't write your name down in front of Yubaba," said Alegra. "But you can when you're with Zeneba, Yubaba's twin sister, she's more pleasant to be around with, assuming Zeneba decides to get herself involved in her sister's affairs. But, you'll mostly be dealing with Yubaba."

"And what will we be dealing with Yubaba?" Riku asked.

At that Alegra smiled, "here's where things get complicated."

"They're not complicated now?" Tess asked.

"Let me correct myself," said Alegra, "here's where things get more complicated. As we speak, an as of yet unidentified dark force is menacing Yubaba's bathhouse and the surrounding environments; demons and Heartless. So far no one has been injured or attacked, but more and more dark creatures are appearing and scarring off customers. At the same time, the ones controlling them remain in the shadows."

"Typical villain behavior," said Aiden, "send the cannon fodder to do the dirty work while they remain safe and comfy in their lair."

"More or less," said Alegra, "once Yubaba knows that you lot are Keyblade Wielders, she'll…request…your assistance in riding the area of Heartless and demons."

"If this is the spirit world," said Malcolm, "and the spirit world has its own government and police, why can't Yubaba ask for help from the authorities? And why can't she do anything if she's such an accomplished magic user?"

"She wouldn't be asking for help if she could handle the problem herself," said Alegra, "no doubt she has some secrets that she doesn't want the authorities of the spirit world to be digging into."

"Doesn't surprise me that much," said Riku.

"So, we've got to fight a bunch of Heartless and demons in order to find Kairi?" Tess asked.

"I will help you find her after I gather together the necessary allies," said Alegra, "aside from the ones whom shall break the curse and heal Kairi's mind, I'll also be gathering additional warriors whom shall join you in battle."

"We can handle a bunch of demons and Heartless," said Roxas.

"And a greedy witch," said Aiden, "we just killed and captured an alternate version of The Trix."

"What is going to happen to the Stormy we caught?" Naminé asked.

"From what I heard," said Riku, "she's in a deep coma and will be transferred to a maximum security hospital, same goes for Lucas Vega."

"That guy was seriously sideways," said Sora.

"If I may get back on track," said Alegra in an annoyed tone, "you will need this additional help. I can't explain why, not now anyway, but please believe me, you're going to need all the help you can get."

"I'd like to meet these new warriors before we fight with them," said Tess.

"You'll get your chance soon," said Alegra, "but if it'll make you feel better, you'll have a few friends you already know coming with you."

"Who could that be?" Sora asked.

"Let's go meet them," said Alegra. With that she stood up, as did Sora and the others. They walked out of the meeting room and went to a larger one where Patricia Walker, Deputy Director of The BPRD, waited for them.

"I've taken into account your request, Alegra," said Patricia as she stood up, leaning on her cane, "I'm not happy about it though."

"But you have considered it," said Alegra.

"Yes," said Patricia, "and my superiors in Washington have been informed. They're just as unhappy as I am, perhaps more so. But, considering that it is you who made the request, my superiors and I feel…obligated…to grant it."

"Why are you obligated to help Alegra?" Tess asked.

"She helped out The Bureau three times since its beginning," said Patricia, "incidences which I'd rather not go into detail. Needless to say, we believe that lending assistance to Alegra's cause would repay the debt owed."

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement," said Alegra.

"But only four!" Patricia insisted, "I can only let four operatives go with you."

"So aside from us," said Sora, indicating Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, "as well as Tara, Jana and Hezekiah, we'll have four more Bureau agents."

"Who will they be?" Tess asked.

"I can let you have Steven, Julia, Felicia and Mark," said Patricia, "those four have had their broken limbs mended; they're fortunate that their wounds weren't as serious as we thought. Everyone else, including Jill, Max and Katina, are on their way back to Washington as we speak, along with the bodies of our fallen." she then sighed, "we've got a lot of funerals to plan."

"John Baxter, Rebecca Covington, Ken Somerset and Shawn Ohmnsford," said Malcolm solemnly, "may their spirits rest peacefully in the summerlands."

"Let's not forget those who were seriously wounded," said Patricia, "it'll be a while before Leon can run again, while Jessie has optic nerve damage and may need corrective surgery."

"Oh, that's bad," said Naminé, "will she have to give up being part of The Bureau?"

"She's still part of The Bureau," said Patricia, "even if she suffers vision deficiency. She can still train new recruits and provide backup support."

"And what about Violet?" Riku asked, "will she be alright?"

"I hope so," said Patricia, "that girl has suffered so much in a relatively short time; losing her parents and home, being shuffled from one foster home to another, enduring the incompetence of her caregivers and the torments of Olaf, being kidnapped by The Trix and nearly sacrificed to Yog-Sothoth, losing her true love and being manipulated by that wretched Columbina. It's a miracle that she's still sane."

"Violet's fractured heart will heal," said Alegra, "Jill, Klaus, Sunny and everyone else in The Bureau will help the healing process, while Violet will make new friends and eventually find new love. As for Lilith von Hellscream, she has a long and difficult road ahead of her, but she will become a great hero whom will help bring the worlds of Normies and Monsters closer together."

"Is this a prediction?" Tess asked, "or a fact you learned through time travel?"

"A little of column A and a little of column B," said Alegra, "now, aside from Meta Humans, a handful of Monsters shall accompany Sora and the others."

"Monsters?" Sora asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Riku.

"Yeah, not a good idea," said Aiden, "they're good people with good, strong hearts, and there's no doubting their courage."

"But they're not warriors," said Malcolm, "they're not trained to fight the darkness."

"But they have the skills needed for the mission," said Alegra, "Frankie Stein for example, her power over electricity would be most beneficial. As would the tracking skills of Howleen Wolf."

"Howleen?" Tess asked, "don't you mean Clawdeen? Wouldn't she be a better choice?"

"And let's not forget Clawd," said Riku. "And they're both strong, competent fighters."

"While Abbey Bomniable is strongest physically," said Malcolm.

"Unfortunately, they are needed here on this world," said Alegra, "and out of the three Wolf siblings, Howleen has the best tracking skills, despite her youth. Besides, it'd be a cold day in the hotter part of hell before we try to separate Clawd from Draculaura."

"Why can't she come?" Tess asked, "sure, she's not the most powerful vampire we know, but she's…"

"She's too kind and gentle for the kind of work that lies ahead," said Alegra, "yes, she did well against The Trix and the Monster Haters, but the types of creatures that you'll be facing would tear Draculaura to pieces."

Alegra sat in a chair, "I'm sorry, but if this is to work, only the following Monsters can go; Frankie Stein, Howleen Wolf, Toralei Stripe, which I'll explain why in a moment, and Andy Beast."

"Why Toralei?" Aiden asked, "she's one nasty kitty cat."

"And who's Andy Beast?" Malcolm asked, "he wasn't with Frankie and the others."

"He'll be here soon," said Alegra. "As for Toralei, she has her own part to play in the coming conflict, during which she'll find something that she has been missing her whole life. Don't ask me what it is, but she will find it."

"And Andy Beast?" Sora asked, "just who or what is he?"

"A beast, obviously," said Roxas.

"And an empathic Monster with a shape shifting complex," said Patricia, "yes his is a most curious case. His talent to sense emotions is linked his ability to change his shape and size. Exposure to extensive negative emotions transforms him into a towering behemoth of great anger and destructive power, a power he is not fully in control of."

"And you want us to team up with this guy?" Aiden asked. He then looked at Alegra, "pardon me, but are you nuts?"

"I often wonder whether or not I've gone mad," said Alegra.

"How often do you ask that?" Tess asked.

"About once ever hundred years or so," said Alegra, "which reminds me, I'm overdue for an appointment with my psychiatrist. Anyway, yes, you will be teaming up with Andy Beast, for two reasons. First of all, Frankie is the only one in existence whom can help him keep his power under control. They've only begun to realize their feelings for each other, but they are soul mates.

"Second, though he does not know yet, Andy Beast will gain a greater understanding of his powers during this mission and become a better person because of it."

"Just where are you getting your information?" Malcolm asked.

"If only you knew," said Alegra, "now, as for Toralei, she has her own purpose in going with you. Though she would deny it in public and in private, deep within her heart she has questions, questions that have been plaguing her for some time."

"Let me guess," said Riku, "she can't find her answers on this world."

"In a nutshell," said Alegra, "she'll find her answers at Yubaba's bathhouse."

"All roads lead to the bathhouse," said Malcolm.

"Again, in a nutshell," said Alegra, "you leave in thirty minutes, that should give enough time for everyone to be informed of what is to come. After that, a portal shall open for the group that will transport you to the village where you'll find Ognio Chihiro."

"Thirty minutes?" Patricia asked, "no, no! It can't be done in thirty minutes. There's forms to be processed, equipment to draw and mission plans to be briefed. Thirty minutes is simply not enough time."

"We don't need half an hour," said Sora, "why not go now?"

"Thirty minutes is sufficient time for everyone's needs, Patricia," said Alegra, "you'll find all the necessary red tape and paperwork already cleared, while the equipment the four young operatives will need is already collected for them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've much to do and not so much time to do it all." With that she stood up and walked out of the room.

"Now wait just a damn minute!" exclaimed Patricia as she stood up and limped after Alegra, "you've got some explaining to do, girlfriend!" she then reached the door and looked out, but Alegra was nowhere to be found.

"Unbelievable!" snapped Patricia, "that woman is one of the most infuriating persons I've the displeasure to meet. She may have saved my life, but if she hadn't stuck her nose in my business in the first place, I would never have had my life in danger that one time, let alone broken my ankle."

"You think you're pissed with her?" Tess asked, "she screwed up my whole life since the day I was born."

"What are we going to do?" Naminé asked, "are we going to follow Alegra's instructions?"

"We might as well," said Patricia after checking a message on her phone, "apparently, Alegra did get everything ready for us. All the red tape is cleared, the gear for Julia, Felicia, Steven and Mark is ready, while Frankie, Howleen and Toralei have been informed. Frankie and Howleen are ready to go, but Toralei may need a little more convincing. As for Andy Beast, he's in the building and is being escorted up to the dimension floors."

"Then we'd better go talk with our frightfully fabulous friends," said Sora.

A few minutes later in a different meeting room, Sora and the others sat with Frankie Stein, Howleen Wolf and Toralei Stripe. The first two Monsters were smiling happily, while Toralei sat with an irate expression on her feline face. Also in the meeting room was Julia Eckhart, Felicia Valentine, Mark Long and Steven Austin.

"That Alegra is one strange Normie," said Howleen, "she told us that we had to go with you to save Kairi."

"And we will save her," said Frankie, "I just know we will."

"Remind me why I have to give up my valuable time to go save a Normie whom I don't even like?" Toralei asked. She then put her feet up on the table, pulled out a nail file and sharpened her claws, "the Monster Haters and dark witches have been defeated, The Necronomicon has been recovered, Olaf is dead and there's no sign of Yog-Sothoth, so why am I still even in this part of the country?"

"Because Alegra says you would be needed," said Riku.

"And that you would find something that you've been missing in your life," said Tess, "answers that you've been seeking."

"I don't want any answers," Toralei said, "and I've got everything I want right here on this world."

"Including a $500 gift card?" Howleen asked.

"Hey, that's right," said Naminé, "Frankie did promise Toralei a gift card."

"For being civil to Kairi while she was here," said Toralei, "and I was civil to her," she then looked at Frankie, "Kairi's not here anymore. I've kept my end of the bargain," she then held out her hand palm up, "so pay up."

"I don't have the gift card with me," said Frankie irately, "and even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you."

"I should have known," said Toralei irately, "you never intended to give it to me."

"I'll give it to you when I know that Kairi's alright," said Frankie, "when she's found and the curse on her mind is broken. You'll get the gift card, but not one second sooner."

"Really," said Toralei. She then stood up, "and what's to stop me from going back home and rummaging through your house for the gift card?"

"You do that and you'll be guilty of breaking and entering, larceny and trespassing," said Julia.

"The usual law enforcement for Monsters will handle it, but if things get violet," said Mark, "then we'll be forced to deal with you."

"It doesn't matter," said Frankie, "she'll never be able to get inside my house, my mom and dad had set up this really great security system."

"Every security system has a weakness," said Toralei.

"True," said Felicia in a mildly depressed tone, "otherwise, the enemy wouldn't have ambushed us at the gala."

"Exactly," said Toralei. She then smiled mischievously, "I wasn't always at Monster High. Before Headmistress Bloodgood found me and my best fiends in Monster juvie, I was quite the cat burglar."

"I know," said Frankie, "I heard about your exploits on Spectra's blog." She then stood up and looked at Toralei right in the eye, speaking in a serious tone, "even if you manage to get inside my house, you'll never find the gift card, never."

"Care to back that up?" Toralei asked daringly.

"Stop it!" Riku in an outraged tone, "my god! Are you really this selfish?!"

"Or maybe you want Kairi to suffer until she goes completely out of her mind," said Tess.

"I could care less about Kairi," said Toralei, "but," she then looked at her talons, "considering that any chance of rescuing her depends on me, I might as well go."

"Because it pleases you," said Julia.

"Indeed," said Toralei.

Just then Tara, Hezekiah and Jana walked in, "we're all set to go," said Jana as she sat down, "hey, did you know that this Bureau can remotely disarm any nuclear warhead in the world?"

"We can do the same at our Bureau," said Hezekiah, "just in case any mortal government or rogue element decides to push the button."

"Or you could just vanish the missile or bomb before it reaches its target," said Tara, "a simple Vanishing Charm will do the trick. It's not easy, vanishing something as big as a missile, but it can be done."

"How nice of you," said Toralei, "now, if you'll excuse me, this kitty cat has some packing to do."

"Everyone's bags are packed, with their names on them," said Tara. She then took out her wand, waved it in a specific pattern and several duffel bags appeared, "they were all outside my room with a note from Alegra. She even pre-charmed them so they can hold much more than they normally would."

"Alegra knows magic?" Tess asked as she checked a duffel that had her name on a tag, the bag containing several days worth of clothes, emergency food and medical supplies, a compass and other essential items for survival.

"Wait, who's bag is this?" Hezekiah asked as he looked at a duffle bag that no one had claimed. "The tag says it belongs to one Andy Beast."

"Andy!?" exclaimed Frankie.

Just then a very tall Monster walked in. He looked to be in his late teens to early 20's with light purple skin and shoulder-length dark purple hair tied back and a short purple goatee beard. He had pointed ears and short white antlers, wearing a white short, light brown vest and dark brown pants, with bare feet.

"Andy!" exclaimed Frankie happily as she rushed over, her neck bolts sparking with her joy. But then she stopped right in front of him, as if unsure of how to proceed, "um…hey."

"Hey," said Andy, also unsure how to proceed. He then scratched the back of his head, adverting his eyes slightly from Frankie, "I…uh…I head you and the others had some trouble last night."

"Uh…yeah…we had a lot of trouble," said Frankie, "but we pulled through, and now I'm going to go help a friend, and you're coming with us."

"I am?" Andy asked.

"Well, of course you are," said Toralei in a teasing manner, "we packed your bag just for you."

"I'm still not comfortable with you coming with us," said Howleen.

"And yet I'm still coming," said Toralei, "deal with it."

"We will," said Frankie. She then looked at Andy, "I'll explain everything later, but we've got to be ready in," she then checked the time on her cell phone, "in less than twenty minutes."

"Say no more," said Andy, "I'm coming with you, but…where are we going?"

"A bathhouse for spirits," said Jana, "isn't it exciting?"

"And bizarre," said Hezekiah, "then again, bizarre is business as usual for The Bureau."

"We've had some bizarre adventures of our own," said Julia, "remember that time in Ontario?"

"You mean when we nearly drowned in a vat of butterscotch pudding?" Steven asked.

"No, that happened in St. Louis," said Mark, "and it was tapioca pudding. Ontario was when we were nearly crushed by an elephant."

"There wasn't an elephant in Ontario!" said Felicia, "that happened in Calcutta."

"Then what happened on Ontario?" Julia asked. "Wait, now that I think about it, were we ever in Ontario?"

"You're thinking of Toronto," said Mark, "that was the time we were went to a Blue Jays game and wound up delivering a baby."

"Oh yeah, now I remember," said Julia as she smiled. She then frowned, "wait, no I don't. I mean, I remember going to the game, but I can't remember who played. And I certainly don't remember delivering a baby."

"The Yankees played," said Felicia, "they won. You don't remember because you were hammered by the 5th inning. Steven, Mark and I delivered the baby in the 7th."

"Now I remember why I'm not that much of a baseball fan," said Julia as she touched her scar.

"Anyway, we've been through strange stuff," said Steven, "and we'll be though even more strange stuff."

"So, you're not bothered by the fact that I'm a Monster?" Andy asked.

"You'll only bother us if you break the law," said Felicia.

"Or of you turn out to be an annoying pain in the ass," said Steven as he eyed Toralei suspiciously.

"Don't bother me and I won't bother you," said Toralei.

"Fair enough," said Steven.

"So, Andy," said Frankie, "how was your trip around the world?"

"Any luck finding other empathic Monsters?" Howleen asked.

"No," said Andy, "I didn't. I've been all over the world. I've met many Monsters and Normies, all of them good people, while I did my best to avoid the bad, the hateful, the evil. I even spent a few weeks in a Buddhist monastery. I learned some calming techniques that has helped me control my transformation," he then looked at Frankie, "but I'm only truly at peace, truly happy, when I'm with you. I know now that no matter what lays in the future for me, I want you to be a part of that future."

"And I want you to be a part of my future," said Frankie. With that she took his hand in hers, "when this is over, you'll come back with me to Monster High?"

"I'll follow you anywhere you go," said Andy. With that the two of them leaned closer as if to kiss.

"Oh, get a room!" said Toralei, causing Andy and Frankie to pause, then move away from each other in an embarrassed manner.

"You only say that after they kiss!" said an annoyed Felicia.

"So, sue me," said Toralei.

Just then an irate Clawdeen Wolf stomped into the room, followed by Draculaura, Clawd Wolf and Lagoona Blue.

"I ought to sue you!" exclaimed Clawdeen as she glared angrily at Toralei, "just who do you think you are, going to save Kairi!"

"I'm going because it pleases me to!" said Toralei as she glared back at Clawdeen.

"No, you're not!" said Clawdeen, "you're not going!" she then glared at Howleen, "and neither are you!"

"What!?" exclaimed Howleen, "of course I'm going!"

"Alegra said she had the better tracking skills," said Riku.

"And she said that we would need Toralei," said Aiden.

"I don't care what Alegra said!" spat Clawdeen, "they're not going! If you need a tracker, I'll go, or maybe Clawd can go."

"Uh, no offense, Clawdeen," said Clawd, "but I'd rather not," he then looked down at Draculaura, "not that I'm afraid of going to another world and visiting a bathhouse full of ghosts and spirits. I just don't want to leave you."

"And I don't want you to go," said Draculaura in an urgent tone as she clutched at Clawd's arm, a thoroughly miserable look on her face, "I feel so bad right now I could just…just…" she then began bawling onto his shoulder. Clawd placed his arms around Draculaura in a comforting manner as her tears flowed freely from her eyes.

"Uh…what's wrong with Draculaura?" Andy asked.

"She's a killer now," said Toralei as she eyed her nails.

"What?!" exclaimed Andy.

"Yep," said Toralei in an offhanded tone, "Draculaura's now a cold-blooded murderer."

"It wasn't murder, you vas deferens!" shouted Steven.

"Girls don't have vas deferens," said Julia.

"I knew that," said Steven, "my point is that you, Toralei Stripe, if you're going to be a part of this mission, then you'd better keep your mouth shut."

"Otherwise," said Felicia as she pulled out one of her knives, "we'll find out just how sensitive a cat's tongue is, as I slowly slice it out."

"What about her whiskers?" Tess asked as she pulled out her razor, "can I cut them off?"

"I was hoping to pull them out," said Felicia, "but maybe you can shave her bald."

"You try it," said Toralei irately as she held up her claws, "and you'll regret it."

"Just as you'll regret it if you don't apologize to Draculaura!" shouted Clawdeen, "she had to do something terrible and it's ripping her heart apart."

"And here I thought vampires didn't have hearts," said Toralei, "at least not ones that beat."

At that Clawdeen growled menacingly, while Toralei hissed, both of them ready to tear each other to pieces.

"Oh, stop it!" shouted Lagoona, "you two are acting like mangy dingoes!"

"Clawdeen, Toralei, sit down!" shouted Frankie as her neck bolts sparked irately. "Or I'll give you both such bad hair days, you'll be brushing for a week!"

At that both Toralei and Clawdeen calmed a bit and sat down, yet their eyes remained hatefully locked.

"I think I came back at a really bad time," said Andy.

"No, just a difficult time, for a lot of us," said Clawd as he still held the crying Draculaura in his arms.

"Draculaura killed a Normie last night," said Lagoona, "one of the Monster Haters we were fighting, she bashed his skull in with a rock."

"I'm a murderer!" exclaimed Draculaura between sobs, "a murderer!"

"It wasn't murder!" Felicia said, "that lunatic was trying to kill Clawd."

"We all are guilty of killing," said Julia, "at some point or another, each Rambler and Meta Human in The Bureau has been forced to take the life of a human. We try our best to not to, but there comes a time when the only way to save the life of an innocent is to kill the wicked."

"I've had to kill three people before last night," said Mark, "I hated what I had to do, but many good people are alive because I destroyed those three evil people."

"And a lot more good people are alive and safe because we had to destroy those wicked people last night," said Steven.

"Listen to them, Draculaura, " said Frankie, "they're telling the truth."

"It'll take more than that to make her feel better," said Clawdeen.

"I don't understand," said Andy.

"You never actually killed anyone when you transformed, did you," said Clawdeen.

"I…I don't know," said Andy, "at least I don't think I did. But why is this so bad for Draculaura?"

"She's immortal," said Lagoona, "and with that immortality comes perfect memory recall. She'll carry the memory of her actions for the rest of eternity."

"It's more than that," said Clawdeen, "it's been hundred of years since Dracualura fed on human blood. She's never harmed a Normie, not seriously. Now she's killed for the first time in centuries."

"And it's tearing her apart on the inside," said Lagoona. She then looked at Toralei, "now do you understand why there's a maelstrom inside Draculaura's heart? Or are you completely without empathy?"

"Don't you care at all?" Malcolm asked.

"I do care!" said Toralei, "I'm just…I've got my own issues, that's all!" she then looked at Draculaura, "I'm sorry you had to do something terrible, okay?" she then looked at everyone, "I'm sorry, okay? Can we go now?!"

"Not for another…fifteen minutes," said Frankie as she looked at the clock on her cell phone.

At that Toralei sat down again, sighing with exasperation, "I'm not cut out for this hero business."

"It's not for everyone," said Sora. He then looked at the still crying Draculaura, "uh…you know…if you keep crying like that, you're gonna ruin your makeup."

"Too late," said Clawd.

At that Draculaura stopped crying as she stood up from Clawd's shoulder and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, her makeup turned into wet streaks on her face, "I'm…I'm alright," she said, "I…just need time…to deal with it…"

"Take all the time you need," said Tess, "and I'm not saying that because you're immortal. I've had to deal with the lives I've taken and for a while it tore me apart. I got over it pretty quickly, mostly because my killings took place in a time of war and I was half crazy at the time. But I've had time to come to terms with my actions, and so will you."

"Talk to the right people," said Aiden, "psychiatrists and psychologists, your friends."

"Would you rather that that maniac had killed Clawd?" Riku asked, "or you? Or one of your friends?"

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Draculaura, "I would never let anyone hurt my Clawd! Not a drug addicted maniac, not another Monster, not a demon or a witch, no one!"

"Then hold on to that," said Tess, "don't ever let anyone or anything tell you otherwise. And remember, if you are ever forced to kill again, if there's no other alternative to saving the lives of yourself and those you love, don't hesitate, for it could mean the death of an innocent. Light willing, you'll never be forced into that position again, but if so, then you'll be ready."

"I…I will," said Draculaura, "I will be ready. I…I just need time."

"Like I said, you have all the time you need," said Tess.

Just then Cleo de Nile and Deuce Gorgon walked in, along with Ghoulia Yelps, whom was carrying a small case.

"I just had to see it to believe it," said Cleo, "Toralei, volunteering to go help a friend."

"I didn't volunteer," said an annoyed Toralei, "I was drafted," she then smirked, "and I'm not even old enough to vote yet."

"At least you're doing the right thing," said Deuce.

"I'll try not to make a habit of it," said Toralei. She then looked at the case Ghoulia was carrying, "what's that?"

Ghoulia moaned something as she opened the case, revealing three pairs of golden earrings set with emeralds and sapphires.

"Oh, the Shimmer!" said Frankie.

"Shimmer?" Andy asked, while Aiden, Roxas, Naminé, Tara, Jana and Hezekiah looked confused.

"Ghoulia invented them," said Draculaura as she took out a pair of identical gold earrings from her pocket, while Cleo did the same, "they're for disguise."

"They're hologram projectors," said Clawd as he displayed a gold belt buckle, while Deuce showed an identical one, "they make us appear as Normies."

"And they worked," said Deuce, "we spent the whole day in New York city without anyone knowing we were Monsters."

"Except for the eyes," said Cleo, "for some reason, they don't disguise the eyes."

"Yeah, I had to keep my eyes covered the whole time," said Deuce.

"And a good thing," said Riku, "those eyes of yours are serious."

"Don't I know it," said Sora, remembering when Deuce petrified him during the gala the previous night.

Ghoulia then moaned something and handed the three new pairs of earrings to Frankie, Howleen and Toralei.

"For us?" Howleen asked. At that Ghoulia nodded in affirmation.

"Hmmm…not really my style," said Toralei as she looked at the earrings she was given.

"They're only partly for looks," said Cleo, "they're to keep any Normies who see you from freaking out."

"No doubt that the world we're going to doesn't have Monsters," said Aiden, "not like you guys. You're awesome."

"Well of course I'm awesome," said Cleo smugly, "a lady of my caliber can be nothing but awesome."

"Well, how do they work?" Howleen asked.

"Just put them on and touch the one on the right," said Draculaura.

Howleen put the earrings on and touched the one in her right ear. The gems flashed and her whole body shimmered. When she cleared, Howleen appeared as a human teenaged African American girl with short curly bronze hair. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Ordinary," said Cleo as she held up a small mirror for Howleen to see her reflection.

"Hey, that's not bad," said Howleen as she smiled at herself, "for a Normie that is."

"Not bad, you're positively cute," said Hezekiah.

"I'd date you if I could," said Malcolm, "which reminds me, I'm overdue for a letter to Merida." With that he sat down with his enchanted writing desk.

Cautiously, Toralei put on her earrings and touched the right one. She shimmered and appeared as a teenaged girl with orange and black hair and medium skin tone. She then pulled out her own mirror, "well, that's different," she said as she looked at herself, touching her human-appearing skin, "I don't know whether I should feel pleased or repulsed." She then looked at Ghoulia, "but why doesn't it work on the eyes? Not that I don't mind keeping my eyes."

Ghoulia moaned something while shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, I guess I can get used to it," said Toralei as she admired her reflection from different angles, "I'll admit, I make one sexy Normie."

"Me next!" said Frankie as she eagerly put her earrings on and touched the one on the right. After shimmering, Frankie appeared as a teenaged girl with raven-black hair with white highlights, light skin without any stitches, while her blue and green eyes appeared the same, while her neck bolts were still visable. "How do I look?"

"Again, ordinary," said Cleo as she showed Frankie her reflection.

"You'll always be beautiful to me," said Andy.

"Aww, you're so sweet," said Frankie as she blushed happily, while her neck bolts sparked, disrupting the illusion of the Shimmer slightly.

"Yeah, I'd avoid doing that if I were you," said Tess.

"Oh, sorry," said Frankie.

"A simple scarf can cover them up," said Julia.

"Andy, take my Shimmer!" said Deuce as he handed over his golden belt buckle.

"What…I just put it on and touch it?" Andy asked. He then put on the belt buckle and touched it. He shimmered and appeared as a young man with medium tanned skin and brown hair, while his ears were rounded and his antlers had vanished.

"Wow, you look great!" said Frankie as she showed Andy his reflection.

"I…is this really me?" Andy asked as he saw himself in the mirror.

At that Ghoulia moaned something, which she used her phone to translate, 'only so long as you wish it, and until the battery wears out, of course.'

"Ghoulia's right," said Frankie, "Andy, you are still who you are under that Shimmer. This," she indicated her transformed self, "it's just an illusion. It can't change who you are on the inside."

"No matter how hard you try," said Toralei.

"It'll make our job easier if we didn't have to worry about the local humans being upset by Monsters," said Mark.

"You're right," said Andy, "I'm ready."

"So are we all," said Tara, "as much as we can be."

At that Ghoulia moaned something that could be translated as 'one more thing.' She then pulled out a small device about the size of a handheld tape recorder. It was a black rectangle with two electrodes on one end, while one side had a small crank. It came with two alligator clip wires, with one end of the wires being larger than the others.

"Oh, I get it," said Draculaura, "they're for Frankie."

"So she can charge herself while she's away," said Clawd.

"'Charge herself?'" Aiden asked.

"Don't you know?" Cleo asked, "Frankie here runs on electricity."

"It's true," said Frankie, "I really don't need food for energy, I just enjoy eating it. Every night, I need to plug myself in to my generator back home and recharge. Without electricity, I just fall asleep and don't wake up until I'm charged again."

"Oh, I get it now," said Aiden, "so, how does this work?"

Ghoulia demonstrated by clamping the small ends of the alligator wires to the device, the larger ends to Frankie's neck bolts and turned the crank on the device. A surge of electricity flowed into Frankie.

"Now that's what I call amping it up!" said Frankie. She then smiled at the genius zombie, "thanks a million, Ghoulia."

At that, Ghoulia moaned something that could be translated as 'any time.'

All this time, Malcolm had been telling Merida of the previous nights events and a short summary of what is to come.

_Once again my friends and I are on a whirlwind adventure, Merida, only this time, we're gambling with the life of a dear, dear friend. I can only hope that we find Kairi before it's too late._

_But this time we've got a lot of new friends and allies on our side, and we'll have many, many more soon, I hope. I don't know. Alegra, she's an enigma. On one hand she's a manipulative, self-righteous bitch who holds no qualm over using anyone she sees fit, so long as her agenda is fulfilled. On the other hand, she's very deep, very caring, very remorseful. She's truly sorry that she has to use us, but there's no other way._

_Or so she says. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but only so far as saving Kairi goes. Beyond that, I'd be perfectly happy if I never saw Alegra again._

_I won't say that I'm sure about the future. So many things can go wrong. Maleficent and her cabal could strike at any time. And then there's Columbina. Who is she? Why does she hate us so much?_

_All I can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And hope that with each passing day, brings us one day closer to being together again. Though we remain worlds apart, my heart remains linked with yours. Until we meet again._

_Love,_

_Malcolm_

* * *

A short time later everyone who was going was ready. The rescue team, consisting of Sora, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Tara, Jana, Hezekiah, Julia, Felicia, Mark, Steven, Frankie, Andy, Toralei and Howleen, waited with their duffle bags in a staging area in the Bureau H.Q.

"If Alegra's right," said Patricia as she checked her watch, "and she usually is, the portal should be open in less than a minute."

"Any last words, boss?" Mark asked.

"Just a few," said Patricia, "don't die, don't do anything stupid and most of all," she then smiled confidently, "save the princess."

"Will do," said Felicia.

"And tell Violet we hope she feels better real, real soon!" said Frankie.

"Will do," said Patricia.

Just then a portal opened up.

"That's that then," said Patricia, "good luck."

Sora and the others nodded in acknowledgement and they all walked through the portal, which closed up after them.

"Those kids," said Patricia, "may the almighty watch over them."

"They've got more than God on their side," said Alegra, whom had appeared next to Patricia, "they've got the light in their hearts as their guide. So long as they hold on to that light, they'll never lose."

"But the heart is more fragile than you think," said Patricia. She then glared at Alegra, "and you, once again you're playing a dangerous game with those whom you have no right to involve."

"I wouldn't have asked for your people if they weren't needed," said Alegra.

"I'm also talking about Frankie and her fellow Monsters!" said Patricia, "as well as those two Meta Humans from the other world, that young witch and especially Sora and his friends. You have no right making them do your dirty work in exchange for saving Kairi!"

At that Alegra glared angrily at Patricia, "you have no idea of the work I've done, how dirty I've had to get, how I've soiled my hands and soul. What I've sent Sora and the others to do will save Kairi from a fate far, far worse from death. I had thought that after all we had been through, I had earned your trust."

"Let's just get this straight, old friend," said Patricia, "we have worked together and you have my utmost respect, but as for trust, you've yet to prove to me that you truly care about your pawns."

"Every time I send someone to do what is needed, I feel for them," said Alegra, "believe me, if I had the power to do what had to be done, I'd do it without hesitation. But I can't, I don't have the power. All I have is immortality, a heightened awareness of evil and my intelligence. Time travel helps of course, and before you ask, I can't change what happened to Kairi."

"I know, it's time locked," said Patricia, "but one thing I want to know; just what is all this for? Why are you sending Sora and the others going to a bathhouse for spirits? What is the end game?"

"You want to know what is at stake?" Alegra asked, "life itself. Freedom itself. Peace, love and light, that is what's at stake. And not just on one world, but all worlds in every universe. That is why Sora and the others are going to a bathhouse for spirits. Does that satisfy you?"

"For now, yes," said Patricia, "but I'll want a full explanation later."

"As soon as I have the time," said Alegra, "and when you're immortal, you find out quickly how little time you have on your hands." With that she vanished.

"Typical," said Patricia to herself, "didn't even say goodbye."

Alegra then reappeared, "forgot to say goodbye," she said, "and good luck with Violet." With that she vanished again.

"Well, that's that," said Patricia. She then limped out of the room, ready to get back to work keeping the world safe from the forces of darkness.


	2. Chapter 1: Spirit World Shuffle

**Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master**

**Volume 6: The Great Bathhouse Battle**

**By AndrewK9000**

**Chapter 1: Spirit World Shuffle**

With a flash, a portal opened up and from it spilled Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Roxas, Naminé, Malcolm, Tara, Jana. Hezekiah, Julia, Felicia, Mark, Steven, Frankie, Andy, Howleen and Toralei, with the lot of them falling in a heap on the ground. Groaning in pain, all of them began to get back up.

"Well, that sucked!" exclaimed Mark as he pushed himself off of Sora and Tara.

"I fell on my keys!" exclaimed Steven.

"_You _fell on _my _keys!" exclaimed Riku as he got up from on top of Frankie and Andy.

"Are all portal crossings this rough?" Howleen asked as Jana helped her up.

"They're kinda rough," said Sora, "but we usually don't have this many people with us."

"That would make an interesting theory," said Malcolm, "how multiple travelers increases turbulence in portal travel."

"You can write it up later," said Hezekiah as he brushed himself free of dust, "now, where are we?"

They all looked around and found that they were in an empty lot surrounded by buildings.

"I'd say we're right where we're supposed to be," said Tess, "in a mountain village in a parallel Japan."

"I'd also say that it's about 4 o'clock in the afternoon," said Julia as she looked up at the sky. She then licked her finger and felt the wind, "on a warm spring day, late April or early May."

"You can tell all that by feeling the wind?" Frankie asked.

"I'm not just a gun-happy sniper," said Julia.

"Okay, equipment check before we go further," said Felicia. She then opened her duffel and took out dozens of knives, then pulled out an especially wicked-looking blade; ten inches long with two serrated edges and a curved tip.

"Good god almighty!" exclaimed Steven as he took out his quarterstaff, "where'd you get that big bastard?"

"I bought it in Singapore," said Felicia. "I call her 'Little Lola.'"

"Lola?" Mark asked as he checked his sword and two short swords. "you named your knives?"

"Just this one," said Felicia as she sheathed her knife.

"Naming a knife, that's just weird," said Mark, "swords are one thing, but I don't do that."

"Neither do I with my guns," said Julia after checking her pistols and double barreled Nitro Express rifle. "Unless it's a very special gun," she then pulled out a sniper rifle with a polished oak stock and a barrel etched with runes, "now this one here, this is Hyperion."

"Hyperion?" Steven asked, "what's with that name?"

"I just like it," said Julia.

"Uh, you do know that Japan has some serious gun laws, right?" Jana asked.

"We know," said Julia as she put her guns away, while Felicia, Steven and Mark also hid their weapons, "so long as we avoid the local cops, we'll be alright."

"Assuming we find Ognio Chihiro," said Aiden, "Alegra said that she would lead us to Yubaba's bathhouse."

"It shouldn't be too hard," said Julia, "oh, I think it's a Sunday, by the way."

"How do you know that!?" Malcolm asked.

"I just do," said Julia.

"Well, assuming that it is a Sunday," said Riku, "then there's no school today."

"Of course there's no school on a Sunday," said Frankie, "just like there's no school on Saturday."

"Not in Japan," said Sora, "we've got school on Saturdays."

"What!?" exclaimed Toralei, "school on a Saturday? What kind of a crazy country has school on a Saturday?"

"Our kind!" said Riku.

"It doesn't matter," said Mark, "it's a Sunday, so there's no school regardless."

"The question," said Aiden, "is where would a teenaged girl go on a Sunday afternoon?"

"How do we know she's even in town today?" Tara asked, "this is a small town after all."

"True," said Hezekiah, "Chihiro would probably be out with her friends somewhere."

"She may have gone all the way to a big city, Tokyo probably," said Steven.

"Hey, what's this?" Howleen asked as she pulled something from her duffel. It was a small Ziplock bag that contained a piece of cloth.

"Now why would Alegra pack that?" Sora asked.

"There's a reason for everything Alegra does," said Tess, "but, it's not always clear."

"Maybe…no, it can't be," said Andy.

"What?" Howleen asked.

"It's too obvious," said Andy.

"What's too obvious?" Frankie asked.

"If you've got an idea, shout it out," said Sora.

"Well," said Andy, "maybe that piece of cloth belonged to Chihiro."

At that Toralei laughed.

"What's so funny?" Howleen asked.

"Oh, I do apologize," said Toralei, "it's just that that was the most idiotic idea I had ever heard. Why would there be some cloth packed that belonged to the girl we're' supposed to find?"

"To help us find her, duh!" exclaimed Jana.

"It's the most logical explanation I can come up with," said Andy.

"Makes sense to me," said Howleen. She then unsealed the bag and sniffed the cloth. She then gasped slightly, "oh, wow! This ghoul, she…she smells…nice."

"Nice?" Frankie asked, "nice how?"

"Not at all like a Normie," said Howleen. She then looked at Sora and the other humans, "no offense, but to a werewolf, you guys have a distinct…musk."

"Really?" Aiden asked in a curious and slightly offended tone, while Malcolm sniffed the palms of his hand.

"Oh yes," said Howleen, "no two Normies are alike, even twins have different scents. But Chihiro, she's much more different. In fact," she sniffed the cloth again, "I haven't smelled anything like this since I first met Kairi."

"Kairi?" Sora asked.

"She smelled…pure," said Howleen, "just like Chihiro."

"Is it possible?" Malcolm asked, "can it be that the pure heart of a Princess of Heart has its own scent?"

"If anyone can sniff out a pure heart," said Toralei, "it's a werewolf, and I mean that in a good way."

"Wow, Toralei," said Howleen in an impressed tone, "that's the nicest thing you've ever said about me."

"You're welcome," said Toralei, "just don't expect too much of it from me."

"Whatever," said Howleen, "anyway, I've got Chihiro's scent, now I've just got to sniff out the real one." she then exited the lot out onto the street and inhaled deeply, tasting the wind. She then turned one direction, then the other, sniffing the air from all around.

"You know," said Hezekiah as everyone followed Howleen, "even though it's Sunday, there should be other people around."

"He's right," said Riku, "this town looks deserted." Indeed, the streets and sidewalks were devoid of people.

"Where is everybody?" Tess asked, "did we arrive in a ghost town or something?"

"No, there's people here," said Howleen as she sniffed the air again, "a good sized town. But," she sniffed again, "they're all gathered in one place, including Chihiro."

"Then let's go see them," said Sora.

They followed the scent to the local high school, where apparently the entire town had gathered for a demonstration of sorts. Atop a platform in the main yard of the school were five teenaged girls, with two of them holding up a large banner which read "Japanese Youth Against Pollution.' The three others were dressed in karate gi's.

"Must be an environmental rally," said Riku.

"Venus would love this," said Frankie.

The middle girl atop the platform was apparently the speaker, with the other two stood to the side, waiting, while near them were several large ceramic blocks. The middle girl had brown eyes and long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She then held up a megaphone and spoke.

"How often do you all hear in the news of a toxic spill? Or of excessive smog in a city? Or of how messed up a river or a lake or a bay is. Have you read how toxic Tokyo Bay is? Too toxic for my taste!"

At that the crowd yelled in affirmation.

"It's not just our beloved Japan that's suffering from pollution!" the girl speaker shouted, "it's all over the world! CFC's draining the ozone layer! Chemicals and sewage in rivers, lakes, killing fish! Contamination of the soil! There are places where it's impossible to grow food, the ground is so toxic! Industrial waste finds its way into drinking water, causing diseases and genetic disorders in the young and the unborn! Global warming and toxins in the very air we breathe! And don't get me started on how much trash is just laying about!

"And pollution is just one problem! Deforestation! Acres upon acres of beautiful rainforest chopped down by the day! The Sahara Desert and other deserts are growing larger and larger, while glaciers and the ice caps are shrinking! Farmlands running out of viable soil, while more and more people are consuming more and more food and water! List goes on and on!

"These problems are known and there are people whom are working to solve them; scientists, governments, corporations, wealthy individuals and private groups, and of course, ordinary people just like you and me!"

At that the crowd cheered in appreciation.

"Yes," said the girl speaker, "progress has been made, but it's not enough. It will never be enough, not so long as there are people in the world who put greed ahead of the wellbeing of the world. There are people who would allow toxins to be stored in improper places, while others allow industrial waste to be spilled on water and on the land! They allow unfiltered gases to be spewed into the atmosphere! And why do they do it!? Money! They are willing to let our world slowly die just to earn a bigger paycheck!"

At that the crowd shouted angrily. The girl speaker continued, "these people in the commercial and industrial sector are only part of the corruption! There are men and women in governments who turn a blind eye to pollution in exchange for money under the table! There are scientists whom have been bribed into giving false reports! And then, sadly, there's the everyman and woman whom just don't care.

"Well, you do have to care. This is our only planet, or only home. Oh, sure, there's still time before we run out of trees, before the oceans are devoid of life, before the ozone layer is gone, before the world floods from melted polar ice. There is time to make a difference, time for change! And that change will start when we fight back!"

At that the two other girls in karate gi's picked up one of the ceramic blocks and brought it over to the speaker. Everyone then saw that the block had the kanji for 'garbage' written on it in black ink.

"I am not calling for violence!" said the girl speaker as the other two set the block atop two smaller blocks, "Spilling blood will only make things worse. But doing nothing won't help either! Stage peaceful demonstrations! Sign petitions! Write to your government representatives! Pick up litter! Install energy-saving technology in your houses! Spending a little more now will save so much more in the long run! As for me," she then walked over to the ceramic block with 'garbage' written on it, "I'm as mad as hell! And I'm not going to take it any more!" she then punched through the ceramic block, shattering it into pebble sized fragments.

The crowd cheered happily, while the two other girls set up another block, this one with the kanji for 'air pollution' written on it.

"I'm sick of breathing dirty air!" she then punched through the block, which the crowd cheered happily again.

"I'm sick of chemicals and toxins dumped into lakes, rivers and the oceans!" she then punched through a block with the kanji for 'water pollution' written on it.

"I'm sick of chemicals and toxins poisoning the farmlands!" she then punched through a block with the kanji for 'soil pollution' written on it.

"I'm sick of dirty, greedy people who are willing to let the world die just to line their pockets!" she then punched through a block with the kanji for 'corruption' written on it.

"And most of all," said the girl as her friends set up a final block that had the kanji for 'ignorance' and 'apathy' written on it, "I'm sick of ordinary people whom either don't know or don't care!" she then smashed the block, earning the loudest cheer from the crowd yet, including Sora and the others.

The girl and her friends bowed to the crowd and left the platform.

"Wow, she was great," said an impressed Sora.

"That ghoul friend's got serious speaking skills," said Frankie.

"And she's Chihiro," said Howleen.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Sora and the others.

"Yep," said Howleen, "that's her."

"Are you sure?" Tess asked.

"The nose knows," said a smiling Howleen.

"Well, how are we going to talk to her?" Julia asked.

"The direct approach might work," said Mark.

"I don't think so," said Tara, "if we were to just walk up to her out of the blue and say that we're from another world and need her help to get to a bathhouse for spirits, she'll think that something pretty dodgy is going on."

"She'll think we belong in a mental ward or something," said Malcolm.

"Well, I don't like the idea of lying to her," said Frankie.

"Leave that to me," said Toralei.

"Well, you'd have plenty of experience with that," said Howleen.

"What can I say?" Toralei asked, "a single lie is more interesting than a thousand truths."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about figuring out what to say to her," said Andy, "she's coming right towards us."

Indeed the girl, Chihiro was walking towards our hero through the dispersing crowd, talking to some and shaking hands with others, all the while making her way towards our heroes and allies.

Eventually Chihiro stood before Sora and the others. It was a tense moment as she and our heroes and allies looked at each other, assessing each other. After a bit, Chihiro spoke, "well, this is kinda weird."

"Weird how?" Riku asked.

"I've seen you guys before," said Chihiro as she indicated Sora, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, "and I get the feeling that you need my help."

"Uh…yeah," said Sora, "that is…well, are you Ognio Chihiro?"

"In the flesh," said Chihiro, "and you guys are…?"

One by one Sora and the others introduced themselves to Chihiro.

"Now I know things are getting weird," said Chihiro, "I dreamed of you guys last night. You had these weird swords…like keys, and you needed me to get to Yubaba's bathhouse."

"That is weird," said Andy.

"Not as weird as some of the stuff we've done," said Tess. She then looked at Chihiro and summoned her Keyblade, "is this what you saw in your dream?"

"You'd better believe it!" said Chihiro, "and there was more. You guys are looking for a lost friend, someone very precious."

"Kairi," said Sora, "have…have you seen her?" He then pulled out his sketchbook and opened it to a page that had a very detailed drawing of Kairi.

"Wow, Sora," said an impressed Riku, "you've improved."

"A lot of your other drawings are pretty crude," said Aiden, "but this is good, real good."

"When did you do this?" Tess asked.

"Before we had to kill those Wamphyri," said Roxas.

"Sora felt inspired to do a portrait," said Namine.

Sora ignored this as he brought the picture of Kairi over to Chihiro, "please, have you seen her?" He asked.

"Not in person," said Chihiro as she looked at Kairi's picture, "I saw her in my dream, though. She's in big trouble." She then looked at Sora, "I don't know exactly what's going on, but I'm going to help you find Kairi, no matter what."

"You are?" Sora asked as he blinked with disbelief. He honestly didn't think convincing Chihiro to help him and the others would be this easy.

"Of course," said Chihiro, "I mean, Kairi is precious to you, right? If I can help bring you two back together, then I've done something that would have made things a little less dark in the world."

"In all worlds you mean," said Aiden.

"Uh, yeah, that too," said Chihiro. She then held out her hand, which Sora shook.

A short time later, Chihiro had changed into everyday attire, consisting of a blue and white tank top with a red and gold jacket with blue jeans and white tennis shoes.

"You were really awesome at that demonstration," said Sora as Chihiro lead our heroes and allies towards the wooded hills outside the town.

"Awesome was an understatement," said Steven, "you demolished those cinderblocks. How long have you been practicing?"

"I got into karate when I was ten," said Chihiro, "my mom, dad and I moved here five years ago. At first I was all anxious and surly about leaving my old school and friends, how I wouldn't like my new home and was just plain unhappy. But then something happened that changed everything for me, how I saw the world, how I saw others and how I saw myself."

"We were told that you had dealings with the spirit world," said Tara.

"Now that's an understatement," said Chihiro. "Anyway, when my parents and I first drove into town, my dad took a wrong turn and we drove into the woods in the hills, nearly running into a marker statue outside an abandoned train station."

"A train station? Out in the middle of the woods?" Riku asked.

"It was what was on the other side of the train station that was important," said Chihiro, "my parents wanted to look but I had a feeling that we shouldn't be at that train station. They heard the wind blowing through the building, where as I heard it telling me to stay away."

Chihiro then sighed, "my mom and dad, I love them, but they're kinda dumb."

"I'm not surprised," said Tara, "Muggles, especially adult Muggles, they tend to ignore the supernatural, while children have a finer sense of it."

"Well, all my parents saw on the other side of the train station was an abandoned amusement park," said Chihiro, "but I knew, I felt, that we had entered someplace where we weren't welcome. I tried again and again to convince my mom and dad to go back, before something happened, but then my dad smelled food, really good food at that.

"We found a whole bunch of outdoors restaurants, like you would see at a real amusement park or a festival. Nearly all of them were empty, like they hadn't been used in years. But one was open and had all these dishes out on display; meats, vegetables, noodles and all sorts of delicious things. It all looked and smelled mouthwatering, but my instincts were telling me not to touch, to get as far away as I could and not to look back.

"Unfortunately my parents thought otherwise. My dad and mom sat down and began eating, reassuring me that they would pay the owner when he came back, but I wouldn't touch a bite, especially when my parents began gorging themselves. Seriously, they just kept shoveling it in like they had been fasting for days.

"I decided to, at least for now, look around. That's when I first saw Yubaba's bathhouse, as well as a train line that ran below the building. I also first met a spirit, thought I thought he was human, like me. I was then told that I had to leave, now, before nightfall, or my parents and I would be trapped. But when I ran back to my mom and dad, they had been turned into pigs."

"The Circe Curse!" said a shocked and intrigued Malcolm.

"You mean the ancient sorceress whom turned the crew of Odysseus into pigs?" Andy asked.

"How'd you know that?" Frankie asked.

"When you spend decades by yourself on an island in the middle of nowhere," said Andy, "there's not much else to do but read the books your parents left for you."

"Well, that's what happened to my mom and dad," said Chihiro, "they were pigs, still gorging themselves, while I was completely freaked out. I ran for the train station, not sure what I was going to do after that, but night was falling fast. All the while, the empty restaurants weren't abandoned, only sleeping. As it got darker, the lights in the restaurants came on and the cooks, shadowy spirits with glowing eyes, appeared.

"I then came to the small stream that my parents and I crossed earlier, but it had grown into a river that was too wide for me to swim across. By then it was full dark and on the other side of the river, the train station was lit up and there were other buildings and more lights, like a fair or a festival. I then saw a ferry crossing and when it landed on the side I was on, dozens of spirits disembarked."

"We were told about the spirits," said Tess, "animals, plants and the essence of everyday objects and overall harmless."

"Well, they scared me," said Chihiro, "but what truly terrified me and made me almost lose hope was that I was slowly but surely fading away. If my new friend hadn't convinced me to eat a berry from the sprit world, I would have vanished completely.

"My new friend then lead me back to Yubaba's bathhouse and told me that if I ever wanted to leave and have my parents turned back into humans, I had to convince Yubaba to let me work in her establishment. It wasn't easy, but I got the job.

"Along the way I met some new friends; Kamajii, he ran the boiler room and mixed the herbs and salts for the baths; the Susuwatari, soot spirits who carried the coal for the boiler; Lin, another worker in the bathhouse who showed me the ropes. And then there's the many kinds of spirits. They're mostly friendly, just don't make them angry.

"But then I met Yubaba, a greedy, selfish and overall coldhearted witch. I pretty much had to beg for a job but I wore her down. She gave me a contract to sign and I put my name on it."

"But she took your name," said Aiden, "we were told that that is Yubaba's way of controlling people."

"She left me with just the kanji 'Sen,' and that was my new name. My friend told me that I had to hold on to my real name, least I forget it and remain Yubaba's slave forever.

"That first day in the bathhouse introduced me to the concept of hard work. Seriously, just a few hours of cleaning floors and scrubbing bathtubs was almost more than I could take. It was mostly because I was human and most of the workers there weren't exactly fond of humans. Because so, I was assigned, with Lin, to clean the biggest tub in the bathhouse, and it was filthy!"

"How filthy?" Sora asked cautiously.

"So filthy that we had to fill it with water to loosen up the muck caking it," said Chihiro. She then smiled, "but then things turned around for me when a Stink Spirit showed up for a bath."

"Stink Spirit?" Frankie asked cautiously.

"Imagine the worst smells possible," said Chihiro, "and then double it. I almost passed out, it was so disgusting. Nearly all of the bathhouse employees wanted it to go away, but Yubaba, always eager to earn more money, accepted the spirit's gold as payment, or rather, I did. Yubaba then told me to take care of the new guest and I showed it to the big tub. The second it went into the tub, the water was turned to sludge. I then filled the tub again with fresh water, and that's when I thought I felt a thorn in its side.

"But it wasn't a thorn, and Yubaba knew it. It took a lot of effort from me, Lin and everyone else, but we pulled out a huge pile of garbage and the stink spirit became a huge river spirit. He thanked me with a gift, a ball of medicine, while leaving a lot of gold dust and nuggets for the bathhouse workers, which Yubaba took all, of course."

"I'm starting to dislike Yubaba," said Malcolm.

"Not many people do like her," said Chihiro, "except for her son Boh and her sister."

"Zeneba," said Tess, "she's supposed to be the nice one."

"She is nice," said Chihiro, "when I met her, she asked me to call her Granny. Anyway, one thing lead to another, leading to me having a showdown with Yubaba. She challenged me to figuring out which pigs in a big group of pigs were my real parents. If I picked right, Yubaba would tear up my contract and I was free to go with my mom and dad. If I picked wrong, we'd be stuck in the spirit world forever.

"But when I looked at the pigs, I knew that my parents weren't among them. I guessed right, my contract was shredded and my parents were restored. I then had to say goodbye to all my friends, especially my dear friend who helped me so much. He told me that when I leaved, I couldn't look back, and that's what I did. My parents and I returned to the human world without them remembering anything that happened. And so we went on with out lives, my mom and dad still don't remember, but I do."

"What a wild adventure it must have been," said Hezekiah.

"And terrifying," said Jana, "I'd be completely bonkers if I saw that my parents had turned into pigs."

"I'd try to reverse the transfiguration," said Tara, "but that's just me." She then looked at Chihiro, "you're taking all of this very well, especially the fact that I'm a witch."

"Well," said Chihiro, "you're a lot nicer than Yubaba. And prettier."

"Thanks," said a mildly blushing Tara.

"What about me?" Toralei asked, "am I beautiful?"

"Yes," said Chihiro, "for an illusion."

At that Toralei blinked in confusion, "what…what are you talking about?"

"She knows about the Shimmer," said Andy, "she knows that we're Monsters."

"And you're okay with it?" Frankie asked.

"You're not freaked out that we're freaks?" Howleen asked.

"Of course not," said Chihiro, "don't ask me how, but I can see past your disguises. Believe me, you're not freaks, you're beautiful people."

"Wow, that's what Kairi first said about us," said Frankie.

"Kairi," said Sora, "we've got to find her."

"Which means we've got to talk to Yubaba," said Riku.

"Of course, follow me," said Chihiro.

Everyone followed Chihiro into the wooded hills, eventually coming to a double-faced stone marker. Beyond it lay an old train station.

"I haven't been back here in five years," said Chihiro as she looked up at the building, then at the gaping tunnel that was almost like a mouth. "It hasn't changed at all."

Sora and the others then heard the wind blowing through the tunnel, almost like it was breathing.

"Beyond this lays the spirit world," said Chihiro.

"It's what we came here for," said Tess. "We can't turn back."

"The shortest distance between start and finish is a straight line," said Mark. At that Julia and the others nodded in agreement.

"The sooner we take care of the problem," said Aiden, "the sooner we find Kairi," he then pressed his wrists, "alright, let's do this!"

With that everyone walked past the stone marker, into the train station. All the while, Sora and the others felt that they were crossing a barrier.

They soon emerged from the train station onto a brightly lit grassy meadow.

"This…this is the spirit world?" Sora asked as he and the others looked around at the sunlit meadow.

"I know it looks like we're still in the land of the living," said Chihiro, "but trust me, we've crossed over between worlds."

"If this is where spirits live," said Andy, "I wouldn't mind vacationing here." He then laid down on the grass and let the sun's rays bathe his disguised body, "the weather here is perfect."

Frankie then laid next to Andy, "it's voltagious!" she said happily.

"Are you digging this air!?" Howleen asked as she inhaled deeply, "it's so clean and pure!"

"It's alright," said Toralei in an offhand manner.

"It certainly is different," said Steven, "we're the only living creatures around."

"Spirits are alive too, you know," said Chihiro.

"I guess so," said Sora.

They followed Chihiro across the meadow, past a small rocky stream and up a flight of stone steps to a wide area full of outdoors restaurants, all of them looking abandoned.

"It does look like it belongs in an amusement park or a festival," said Tess.

"And it looks like no one has been here for years," said Felicia. She then looked at Chihiro, "are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Of course we're in the right place!" said Chihiro, "what, do you think I'm lost or something?"

"No," said Felicia, "it's just…"

"Wait!" Malcolm shouted, "do you smell that?"

"Smell what?" Sora asked.

"I smell it," said Howleen in a rather uncomfortable tone, "smells like sheep and barley."

"It's haggis!" Malcolm shouted eagerly. He then ran towards the restaurants.

"Malcolm! Wait!" Sora shouted as he and the others hurried after him.

"He likes haggis?" Julia asked in an uncomfortable tone.

"Apparently," said Riku.

They caught up with Malcolm several streets into the restaurant district. He was standing just outside one vender whom had several dishes of meats, noodles and vegetables on display, all of which emitted mouth watering aromas. The owner was nowhere in sight.

While everyone was looking at the food with hungry eyes, Malcolm had eyes for only one dish.

"It is haggis!" Malcolm shouted happily, "with neeps and tatties!" He then started towards the countertop where the food was laid out.

"Don't!" Chihiro shouted. At the same time Riku and Aiden grabbed Malcolm.

"What are you doing!?" Malcolm exclaimed as he struggled against Riku and Aiden, "it's haggis! Just like my mother used to make!"

"Didn't you hear what Chihiro told us!?" Aiden shouted, "you eat that stuff and you'll turn into a pig!"

"But it's my mother's haggis!" Malcolm shouted, "come on, just one bite! I'll pay the owner when he gets back!"

"The owner won't be here until nightfall," said Chihiro, "until then, don't touch or eat anything unless invited!"

"But…my mother's haggis!" Malcolm complained, but he stopped struggling. Riku and Aiden then released him.

"If you're hungry, you should have brought a snack," said Mark.

"Why didn't we pack any snacks before we left?" Steven asked.

"If you wanted snacks," said Tara as she pulled out her wand, "all you had to do was ask," she then summoned a tray full of chocolate chip cookies.

"How'd you do that?" Frankie asked.

"Magic, of course," said Tara.

"I thought you couldn't use magic to make food out of thin air," said Sora, "only cook the ingredients."

"True," said Tara, "but you can vanish food and reappear it for later."

"Are these's Andrew's cookies?" Aiden asked as he ate one, "what am I saying? Of course they're Andrew's! They're fantastic!"

With that everyone ate some of the cookies.

"They are great," said Malcolm, "but," he then looked at the haggis on the countertop.

"Don't even think about it," said Frankie irately, while her Shimmer flickered slightly as her neck bolts sparked.

"Easy with your volts, ghoul friend!" said Toralei, "you might just bow your cover."

"That's awfully nice of you to care," said Frankie. She then looked at Malcolm, "and what is haggis, anyway?"

"Sheep stomach stuffed with meat and barley," said Malcolm, "cook it just right and its delicious."

"Uh…right," said Frankie in an comfortable and slightly disgusted tone.

"It's not that bad," said Andy, "I had it once while visiting Scotland and it was pretty good."

"Really?" Frankie asked, "well, if you liked it, then I guess I could give it a try."

Just then everyone heard two people arguing at the far end of the avenue. Sora and the others followed the noise and saw two frog spirits, one wearing yellow robes and a green hat and one wearing blue robes and a red hat. Also there was a woman with long dark brown hair, a high forehead and pencil thin eyebrows, her whole face having a slight elongated look, almost like a weasel. She was wearing blue and white robes.

The woman was arguing with three kappa spirits; water creatures, reptilian in appearance with a large cavity in the top of their heads filled with water.

"I don't care how disgruntled your farmer clients are!" said the woman irately, "Yubaba has made her issues clear! She won't pay one more gold piece until the rice is delivered!"

The lead kappa glared up at the woman, "and you go back to Yubaba and tell her that she'll not receive one more grain of rice until our clients get their gold!" at that the other two kappa carefully nodded in agreement, making sure not to spill a single drop of their precious water.

The toad in blue robes spoke up, "I'm sure we can come to an agreement that will benefit all."

"We just need to stop shouting at each other," said the frog in yellow robes.

The lead kappa then glared at the two frogs, "our farmer clients have stated their demands," he then looked at the frog in blue, "Chichiyaku," then at the frog in yellow, "Aniyaku. As for me and my comrades, we're done talking to Yubaba's manager and assistant manager," he then glared at the woman, "and her new foreman."

"We want to take our case directly to Yubaba!" said one of the other kappa.

"Yubaba is…indisposed," said the woman in a placating tone, "there's been some…disturbances, around the bathhouse that require her full attention."

"The boss has placed her full confidence in us to handle this situation," said the frog in blue, Chichiyaku.

"If we could just sit down and talk calmly and carefully," said the frog in yellow, Aniyaku.

"We've been talking for almost a week!" the lead kappa hissed, "need I remind you of the situation my clients are in?"

"The weather forecasters have predicted an extended drought," said one of the kappas, "our farmer clients need more gold to hire construction workers to build an aqueduct. They cannot grow rice without water for the rice paddies."

"I know how rice is grown!" the woman snapped. She then sighed, "look, I understand how the farmers feel. Hell, I'd be worried if I knew a drought was coming, and I am worried about this drought. I've got to deal with the harbor masters and the ferryboat crew, and them there's Kamajii to reassure."

"A drought affects all," said the lead kappa, "my kind out of all knows of the importance of water." He then smiled coldly, "but we also know of the importance of gold; whoever has the most, has the most power."

"Don't I know it," said the woman, "look, I'd give you and your farmer clients all the gold they need, but Yubaba has the final say in terms of money and she won't give up a scrap of gold, unless she is given a good enough reason."

"Ah, now we come to the cusp of it," said the lead kappa, "Yubaba wants something else, besides rice for the bathhouse kitchens and the resort restaurants."

"Something that we can acquire for her," said one of the other kappas.

"If she does want something, I'm in the dark," said the woman, "but I'll tell her your offer. But as for the farmers, I cannot give them the gold they need."

"Will they take an alternate form of currency?" Riku asked as he stepped forward, making himself and the others known to the spirits.

"What…!? Humans!" exclaimed Chichiyaku in a terrified tone.

"A lot of humans!" exclaimed Aniyaku, "what are you doing here!?"

"Apparently, not being afraid of us," said the lead kappa. He then stepped towards Riku, "you have encountered my kind before, have you not?"

"No," said Riku, "but I've learn to expect the unexpected."

"We're so desensitized," said Sora.

"Well, I've seen kappas before," said Jana, while Hezekiah nodded.

"As have we," said Julia, while Felicia, Steven and Mark nodded.

"Yeah, kappas, not the friendliest of peoples," said Andy.

"Nor are they the smartest," said Toralei.

"That's because the majority of us haven't had the privilege of attending college," said the lead kappa.

"Spirits go to college?" Aiden asked.

"Of course," said the lead kappa, "some of us prefer a well-paying job. Now," he then looked up at Riku, "you were saying about an alternate currency?"

Riku then pulled out his munny pouch and showed the water spirit some of it, "this stuff can be traded for gold," said Riku.

"Ah, yes," said the kappa as he handled some of the munny, "I've seen some of this before in my dealings with the Moogles."

"Is there any place in existence where there aren't Moogles?" Tess asked.

"I doubt it," said Riku. He then looked at the lead kappa, "well, how much do you think this is worth in gold?"

"Not enough to satisfy the farmers," said the lead kappa, "but…"

"Uh…excuse me," said Aiden, "I don't mean to be rude, but I can supply your farmers with all the gold they'll need. Just give me a few minutes alone and their money problems will be solved."

"Don't listen to him, he's crazy!" Riku shouted. He then walked up to Aiden, "if you let these people know you're an Alchemist, they'll use you to make gold until you drop."

At that Aiden blinked in shock as realization hit, "oh, right, sorry," he then looked at the spirits, "sorry, my mistake."

"How about this then," said Malcolm as he then summoned a checkbook, "I have access to my family bank account. I'll write a check and give it to you," he looked at the woman, "then you can give it to the kappas and they can give it to the farmers. Yubaba never needs to know, and what Yubaba doesn't know won't hurt her."

"That might just work," said the woman, "but what will I tell Yubaba?"

"Tell her that the farmers had a change of heart," said Howleen.

"No, that won't work," said Toralei, "if you're going to make up a lie, make it one where the opposition doesn't completely cave in."

"Why not tell the truth?" Chihiro asked, "but not the whole truth. Tell Yubaba that a third party, who wishes to remain anonymous, has a stake in both the farmers and in the bathhouse and wishes for things to remain harmonious."

"That could work," said the woman as she looked at Chihiro with suspicious eyes, "hey, have we met before?"

At that Chihiro looked offended and sad, "you really don't remember me, Lin?"

At that the woman, Lin, looked at Chihiro with questioning eyes, "it…no, it can't be."

"I was a lot shorter and scrawnier when you last saw me," said Chihiro, "I've changed, Lin, and so have you apparently."

"No, it's impossible!" said Chichiyaku.

"You can't be Sen," said Aniyuka.

"Sen?" Lin asked, "is…is it really you?"

"You told me that one day you'd earn enough money to leave the bathhouse," said Chihiro, "that you'd ride the train and go wherever you wanted to go."

"Sen!" exclaimed Lin happily. She then ran forward and embraced Chihiro like a long lost friend, "it is you! It is you!"

"Lin!" Chihiro exclaimed as she hugged Lin back, "I missed you so much! But, what happened? Why are you still working for Yubaba? I thought you would have quit by now."

"I almost did," said Lin, "it's a long story, but I've got to wrap this up first."

"Sen," said Chichiyaku in a distant tone, "I still don't believe it."

"It is her," said Aniyuka, "but, Sen, what are you doing in the spirit world?"

"Another long story," said Chihiro.

"I don't mean to sound rude," said the lead kappa, "but business doesn't resolve itself."

"My thoughts exactly," said Malcolm as he summoned a pen and wrote out a check, "now, this can be cashed for gold in just about any bank, or so I'm told. Magic can be fickle sometimes," he then showed the check to the kappas, "will this satisfy your clients."

"Yes," said the lead kappa in an impressed tone, "most satisfying indeed."

"Then this is for you," said Malcolm as he handed the check to Lin, "now give it to them, they'll give it to the farmers and everyone will be satisfied."

At that Lin looked at the kappas suspiciously as she folded the check in half, "how do I know you guys won't keep it for yourselves?"

"How do we know you won't keep it for yourself?" the lead kappa asked.

"Trust is a big part of any business deal," said Tara, "without trust, noting would get done."

"Good point," said Lin. She then handed the check to the lead kappa, "you just make sure that the gold gets to where it needs to be and we get the rice promised to us."

"Believe me," said the lead kappa as he handed the check to one of his comrades, "my clients will be most happy with this most generous donation. The farmers will get their water, the bathhouse gets its rice, my comrades and I get our commission, while Yubaba needs to know nothing."

"My lips are sealed," said Lin.

"Then our business is concluded," said the lead kappa. The three water spirits then bowed carefully but still respectfully. Lin, Chihiro and Malcolm also bowed, and with that, the three kappas vanished.

"Well," said Lin, "that was about as fun as scrubbing out the big tub," she then looked at Chichiyuka and Aniyuka, "well, go back up to the boss and tell her that the problem has been taken care of."

"Uh, yes, of course," said Aniyuka.

"But what about…?" Chichiyuka asked.

"I'll be along as soon as I catch up with the kid here," said Lin, "I'm sure Yubaba would want to talk to her later."

"She's going to want to talk to all of us," said Tess, "if the problem that we've been told about is indeed real."

"Yes, we'll tell Yubaba that you're here, Sen," said Aniyuka.

"And it's good to see you again," said Chichiyuka. With that the two frogs bowed to Chihiro, whom bowed back, then the two frogs left the area.

"Those two can be so annoying sometimes," said Lin, "but they get the job done."

"Speaking of jobs," said Chihiro, "what's this about you being the new foreman?"

"Yeah, kinda a funny story," said Lin, "after you went home with your mom and pops, Haku really let Yubaba have it. Now that that kid was free of the old witch, Haku was turned out to be pretty nice, to everyone else that is. With Yubaba, he basically told her to go to hell, and then he left."

"He left?" Chihiro asked, "did he say where he was going?"

"No," said Lin, "but he asked me to tell you that if you ever came back to our world, that you should keep your eyes open."

"Keep my eyes open," Chihiro repeated.

"After Haku left," said Lin, "things really started to get crazy here. A lot of the workers got together and formed a union, with myself and Kamajii among its first members. We then told Yubaba our demands; raised wages, overtime pay, health coverage, retirement packages, better food and lodging, vacations, an assistant for Kamajii and a promotion for me. I didn't ask for anything big, just a step up from scrubbing tubs all day."

"I'll bet Yubaba pitched a fit," said Chihiro.

"She nearly burned herself up," said Lin, "anyway, the old witch said no, so we resisted Yubaba the best way we could; passive resistance."

"How does that work?" Frankie asked.

"Civil disobedience," said Riku, "they disobeyed Yubaba by not complying with her rules and not doing anything violent."

"It was basically a sit-down strike," said Lin, "no work was done at all. No cooking, no cleaning, no baths, customers were turned away, the whole bathhouse came to a stop. Yubaba threatened us with pay cuts, reduced meals, eventually working her way up to torture and executions.

"But her own wickedness was her undoing. The contracts we all signed that allowed Yubaba control over us didn't say she could torture or kill us, nor can she fire us without tearing up the contracts.

"Unfortunately for us, Yubaba wouldn't agree to negotiate. For a while, I thought we'd be stuck at a standoff. But then the many customers of the bathhouse told Yubaba that unless she agreed to, at least, negotiate, they would boycott the bathhouse and Yubaba would be ruined financially.

"The final straw fell when Yubaba's kid, Boh, flat out told Yubaba to just sit down and talk, or else he'd move in with Zeneba. That finally broke through Yubaba's iron shell, though she locked herself in her apartment for a few days to cool off. After that she was perfectly reasonable. We sat down and talked it over. We got our pay raise, better food, health coverage, retirement benefits, but had to give up overtime and vacations, while I got promoted and Kamajii now has a part time assistant."

"That kinda bugs me," said Chihiro, "Kamajii told me that he had all the help he needed with the soot spirits."

"Yeah, but after you left, he admitted that he was starting to get old and felt like he needed some company in his work, hence his new assistant."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Chihiro, "but how did you become the new foreman?"

"The old one slipped on a bar of soap and hurt his back," said Lin, "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and things turned out for the best. Business has never been better. Pretty much everyone is happy," she then frowned, "but now there's demons and Heartless popping up all over the place. No one has been hurt, but the creatures are scarring the bathhouse guests. I'm telling you, kid, Yubaba's worried, more worried than anyone has ever seen her before."

"Well," said Chihiro as she smiled at Lin, "that's what my new friends and I are here for."

"We were told that there were Heartless and demons here," said Sora.

"And dealing with Heartless and demons is what we do best," said Aiden, while Riku, Tess, Roxas, Naminé and Malcolm nodded in agreement.

"Same with us," said Jana, while Hezekiah, Felicia, Julia, Steven and Mark nodded in agreement.

"And we'll help too," said Frankie, while Howleen and Andy nodded.

"I might as well," said Toralei, "I'm here, right?"

"Well, there's certainly a lot of you," said Lin, "and you do look strong. Alright, I'll make and appointment with Yubaba. But don't blame me if she throws you out on your butts. The bathhouse is taking human guests now, but uninvited humans are still disliked."

"You've got human guests now?" an astonished Chihiro asked, "how much has changed in five years?"

"Quite a bit," said Lin, "after I was made foreman, Yubaba had the brilliant idea of allowing humans from other worlds. She would send out special invitations that were spelled to find wealthy and open minded humans. They would then come to our world, stay at a special hotel Yubaba had built, enjoy the bathhouse and we rake in the gold. Profits are at an all time high and they're only getting higher. We now have a park and flower garden for the humans to enjoy."

"Well, in that case, we'll be alright," said Tess.

"I hope so," said Lin, "like I said, no one has been hurt yet, but I'm worried that things will get bad pretty soon."

"Let's hope that your feelings are wrong this time," said Riku.

* * *

"Can you believe this place?" Rapunzel asked as she and Eugene walked through the flower garden, with the bathhouse within sight in the distance, while behind the two newlyweds lay a hotel styled after Osaka Castle.

"Have you ever seen flowers like this?" Rapunzel asked with delight as she marveled at the blossoms that flourished in all colors of the rainbow and beyond.

"Well, it is bright and pretty," said Eugene, "but I see a prettier flower right here."

"Oh, you're such a tease, Eugene," said Rapunzel. She then flung her arms around his neck and they kissed.

But then they heard a rustling coming from a group of tall rose bushes.

"What….what is that?" Rapunzel asked. She then pulled out her trusty frying pan and hefted it, "who's there?! Show yourself!"

"Hey, take it easy," said Eugene, "it's probably another rabbit."

But instead of a rabbit emerging from the rose bushes, out stumbled Kairi, looking very haggard, her clothes torn and dirtied, her skin scrapped and bleeding from rose thorns, her Keyblade out in her hands and her eyes betraying her fear and exhaustion.

"What…who…how…why?" Rapunzel asked in a confused tone.

"That leaves just 'when' and 'where,'" said Eugene.

Kairi, panting with exhaustion, glared at the two newlyweds, "you…you won't get me!?" she exclaimed as she raised her Keyblade, "you won't get me!" she then rushed at Eugene, fully intending to run him through the heart.

"NO!" shouted Rapunzel. She then swung her frying pan, hitting Kairi on the forehead with a loud 'CLANG!' that knocked Kairi on her back and rendering her unconscious, while her Keyblade vanished.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Rapunzel as she dropped the frying pan and knelt beside Kairi, "what have I done?"

"You saved my life again, that's what happened," said Eugene, "this girl wanted to kill me! She's crazy."

Rapunzel then looked at Kairi, "is she crazy? Or maybe just scared. The look in her eyes, she was terrified of us."

"Well, she's not scared now," said Eugene as he picked up the frying pan, "most underrated weapon ever!"

"Yeah, but I wish I didn't have to hurt her," said Rapunzel, "help me carry her back to the hotel."

"What?" Eugene asked, "we can't take her back to the hotel! We need to call the police or the local guard, or whatever they have around here."

"No, we're not doing that," said Rapunzel in an insisting tone. She then looked at the unconscious Kairi, "call me crazy, but I've got a feeling that she needs our help."

"Hello!" exclaimed Eugene, "she tried to kill me with some kind of magic sword!"

"I know what she did!" exclaimed Rapunzel as she stood up and glared at her husband, "but we're still helping her, Eugene Fitzgerbert, and that's final!"

Eugene glared back at his wife, but relented, "fine, I'll carry her back to the hotel, but if she wakes up and tries to bite my ears off, I'm holding you responsible!"

"I'll sew them back on if I have to," said Rapunzel, "now help me pick her up."

"I don't believe this," said Eugene as he and Rapunzel picked Kairi up, "we're supposed to be on a romantic honeymoon and already we're fighting."

"I heard that arguments are actually a healthy part of marriage," said Rapunzel, "and so are apologies. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"And I'm sorry I made you yell at me," said Eugene as Rapunzel helped move Kairi onto his back, "I just feel that we're getting into serious trouble by helping this girl. You've got your gut feelings and so do I."

"Well, I feel that she's in more trouble than she can deal with alone," said Rapunzel, "And that she's been alone for a long time, but not any more."

With that the two of them hurried back to the hotel, taking the unconscious Kairi with them.

* * *

**…An Alternate Tokyo…**

For several minutes, Alegra had been following Urameshi Yusuke, making sure to stay out of sight and not attract attention from anyone else as Yusuke went about his business, which mostly meant, for the moment, taking a walk through midtown Tokyo.

She followed Yusuke as he turned down an alley, taking cover behind a stack of boxes, when Yusuke stopped.

"You know," said Yusuke, apparently to himself, "when someone follows you around town, it usually means they're out to make trouble."

Alegra, slightly taken aback as she realized that Yusuke was talking to her, came out from hiding and addressed him openly, "or it means they want to simply talk," she said.

Yusuke turned around and looked at her, "well, talk, if that's what you want with me. But you ought to know, I'm not the kind of kid you want to mess with."

"On the contrary," said Alegra as she walked closer to Yusuke, a confident smile on her face, "you're exactly the kind of person I need, Spirit Detective Urameshi Yusuke."

At that Yusuke glared defensively at Alegra, "how do you know who I am? And how do you know I'm a Spirit Detective? It's not like I advertise it on TV."

"You're more famous than you think, Yusuke," said Alegra, "first of all, I'm Alegra Wells. I'm a traveler of both time and space, journeying to where and when the forces of darkness threaten to destroy the light. My task is to influence the light into standing against the darkness and force it back, often nudging heroes and champions of the light into helping those who need help against the darkness."

"And you think I'm the right kind of hero to fight these dark forces?" Yusuke asked cautiously.

"You certainly have the right qualifications," said Alegra, "years of street fighting skills, an incredible physical constitution, near godlike stamina, a miraculous recovery factor, not to mention your abilities to see the supernatural. And that Spirit Gun of yours is no pea shooter."

"I'll admit," said Yusuke as he held up his right index finger, "it's helped me out of some pretty tough jams."

"And then there's your résumé," said Alegra, "you recovered the Three Dark Artifacts of the spirit world, albeit in less than pristine condition, while at the same time destroying one demon, gaining the friendship of a second and the allegiance of a third."

"Kurama's okay," said Yusuke, "but the jury's still out on Hiei."

"Then you fought your way through Genkai's tournament," said Alegra, "defeating more experienced opponents and bringing the criminal Rando to justice, while also becoming the disciple of Genkai herself."

"That creep was messed up," said Yusuke, "but not as messed up as old Genkai."

"I should know," said Alegra, "I met Genkai long ago. That woman is intense."

"Wait a second," said Yusuke in a suspicious tone, "something doesn't add up. Genkai's like 60 or 70 or something, but you're nowhere near that old, so how come you knew Grandma when she was younger?"

"Time travel of course," said a smiling Alegra, "and the fact that I'm pretty much immortal, long story."

"I'll bet," said an impressed Yusuke.

"To continue," said Alegra, "you defeated the Four Saint Beasts, with a little help from your friends of course, and just recently, you and your friend Kuwabara Kasumo powered your way through a horde of lesser demons, fought The Togoro Brothers to a standstill and rescued the Ice Apparition Yukina from a horrible fate, while your friend Kasumo found true love."

"Who would have thought that lumphead Kuwabara had a romantic side," said Yusuke, "and you got one thing wrong. We killed the Togoro Brothers."

"Yes, of course you did," said Alegra in a hasty tone, hoping that Yusuke hadn't caught on her sudden lie. There were certain things about the future that she preferred to keep quiet about, unless it was necessary to talk about it.

"Anyway," said Alegra, "you, Yusuke, and your friends, are just the people I need to help some friends of mine, and before you say anything, there's a few facts you need to know first, so hear me out."

"I'll listen," said Yusuke, "but no promises. It's bad enough I have to take orders from a toddler."

"You mean Koenma hasn't grown up yet?" Alegra asked in an astonished tone, "at least tell me that Botan's acne has cleared up."

At that Yusuke started laughing, "Botan had pimples?" he asked, "oh man!"

Alegra sighed with annoyance, "yeah, get your giggles out, because this is serious business."

It took Yusuke thirty seconds to stop laughing before he was ready to listen. Alegra then gave him a brief explanation of The Realms of Light, about Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders and about The Heartless.

"And so Sora and his friends are racing against the clock," said Alegra, "they have to solve a crisis in the spirit world, while at the same time, find Kairi before Columbina finds and destroys her first."

"And you made a bet with Columbina over who could get to Kairi first?" Yusuke asked, "I've met some pretty messed up people since coming back to life, but you're one sick lady."

"When you dedicate your immortal life to battling the forces of darkness," said Alegra, "you find yourself doing some morally questionable things. But enough about that," she then looked at her watch, "if I'm right, Botan should be running up to you in exactly…ten seconds."

"Botan's coming?" Yusuke asked. Ten seconds later he heard someone running towards him. He saw a girl in her mid teens with long blue hair tied back in a pony tail, bright purple eyes and wore a blue shirt with a brown leather jacket and red pants. She had an upbeat, optimistic personality with a serious side to her.

"Yusuke!" the girl, Botan, shouted as she ran towards him, "I've got another case for you!" she then skidded to a halt when she saw Alegra. Her purple eyes glared irately at Alegra, "what's she doing here!?"

"Nice to see you too, Botan," said Alegra, "how's has your Reaping been? Oh, that's right, you've been assigned as Yusuke's contact with the spirit world. How's that been going?"

"It has its ups and downs," said Botan.

"Uh, Botan?" Yusuke asked cautiously, "is there something you need to tell me?" he then looked at Alegra, "or maybe you need to tell me something."

"I'm not exactly popular in the afterlife," said Alegra, "immortality has its pros and cons."

"With the cons affecting spirit world more often than not," said Botan. She looked at Yusuke, "I'll bet you didn't know that spirit world handles not only the humans of this world, but many other worlds as well."

"I didn't know that," said Yusuke, "how many worlds do you guys cover?"

"A lot," said Botan, "including the parallel Earth that Alegra Wells came from, so we're responsible for keeping track of her exploits through time and space." She then glared at Alegra, "every time you die and then resurrect yourself, it's a mountain of paperwork for us."

"It's not like I want to keep dieing and coming back to life," said Alegra, "I don't throw myself in front of cars to push innocent people out of the way," she then looked at Yusuke, "nice save, buy the way."

"Gee, thanks," said Yusuke.

"Look," said Alegra to Botan, "we can argue until the fat lady sings, but the problems will still be there. You were going to tell Yusuke about the demons and Heartless stalking Yubaba's bathhouse, right?"

"I was," said Botan as she eyed Alegra suspiciously, "but I'll be keeping a closer eye on you from now on."

"I'll try not to die so often," said Alegra.

"And I'll try to pay attention for once," said Yusuke sarcastically.

"Okay," said Botan, "first of all, spirit world is a lot larger than what you saw when we visited Koenma. There are many areas so large, you couldn't even imagine it. In one of these areas is a special bathhouse for spirits where they go to refresh themselves and recharge their powers. This bathhouse, run by the witch Yubaba, is being targeted by a demonic criminal."

She then held out her hand and a file folder popped into existence, "here's your latest case," Botan said as she handed the file to Yusuke. He opened it, revealing a picture of a humanoid figure made of solidified fog.

"Shadowcast, huh?" Yusuke asked, "what's his excuse?"

"This is a demon unlike anything you've faced before," said Botan, "Shadowcast has the power to make himself incorporeal."

"Incompatible?" Yusuke asked.

"_Incorporeal_!" Botan exclaimed, "it means he has no physical body! Honestly, Yusuke, you'd think you'd learn something at school, if only to be with Keiko."

"Well, I would spend more time with Keiko if I didn't have to go running around fighting demons all the time!" said Yusuke irately, "I might even make time for school for a change."

"If you don't mind," said Alegra, "about Shadowcast, he's a psychic vampire, which is different from the kind of vampires that suck blood."

"I kinda figured that much," said Yusuke, "so, what does this creep suck instead of blood?" He then giggled again at his own joke.

"Spiritual energy, you nimrod!" snapped Alegra, "Shadowcast steals spiritual energy from humans."

"Bingo," said Botan, "this type of demon, it's proper name is Vapor Vampire, can become living fog, ensnaring unsuspecting humans in its mist, enter through the lungs and drain them of spiritual energy, leaving them stone dead and with no visible evidence of what happened to them, baffling the police and the loved ones of his victims."

"Well, that sucks," said Yusuke. He then laughed at his own pun before contuning "so, what's he doing at a bathhouse for spirits?"

"That we don't know," said Botan, "yet. What we do know is that he has gathered together a sizeable group of demons and is summoning Heartless," she looked at Alegra, "I'm sure you told him about Heartless?"

"He knows," said Alegra.

"Good," said Botan, "now, we're doing our best to figure out what Shadowcast is planning, but one thing is fore sure; his vapor nature makes him almost impossible to capture, or even hit. Yusuke, your Spirit Gun may not even be able to touch him."

"Big deal," said Yusuke, "he's living fog, right? So, I'll just suck him up in a vacuum cleaner or something."

"That's actually not a bad idea," said Alegra, "but there's more to this situation. Shadowcast has teamed up with other villains, whom I'm going to speak to other people about in a short while, but the point is that this demon is just one piece of a bigger puzzle, one that I intend to solve before whatever terrible thing that's about to happen, does happen."

"Well, it's not like I've got anything else to do today," said Yusuke, "when do I leave?"

"As soon as you round up Kuwabara," said Botan, "I'll track down Hiei and Kurama, but you two need to go on ahead."

"You'll need this," said Alegra as she handed Yusuke a small blue crystal, "it'll open a portal that will take you instantly to the special train station that is the gateway to where, in spirit world, Yubaba has her enterprise set up."

"That'll save some gas money," said Yusuke as he took the crystal.

"And you'll need this too," said Botan as she handed Yusuke a analogue watch, "a brand new Spirit Compass to replace the one that broke during Genkai's tournament. It's much more durable and can pinpoint individual demonic energy sources."

"So I can track more than one demon, cool," said Yusuke as he put the watch on, "anything else I need to know?"

"Two more things," said Alegra, "first; keep your eyes out for Sora and his group. They've plenty of experience fighting demons and Heartless, but they'll need all the help they can get this time, and keep your eyes out for Kairi as well."

"No problem," said Yusuke, "what's the other thing?"

"Don't turn your back on Yubaba," said Alegra, "she's a crafty old witch who'll do just about anything to earn money."

"Gotcha," said Yusuke, "watch out for the shriveled up old witch. Anything else?"

"Only that you be careful," said Alegra, "there's still much about this situation that I don't understand. Shadowcast and his cohorts in evil may think they are in control, but Columbina is the true puppet master, and she's the biggest enigma of them all. Oh, and watch out for Maleficent, Xehanort and their cabal; they'll try to stick their filthy noses in this mess just as sure as the sun rises in the east. Good luck, Urameshi Yusuke, you'll need all you can get." With that she vanished.

"What a strange lady," said a slightly confused Yusuke. He then looked at Botan, "is she really on the level? Or was she just jerking my chain?"

"She was telling the truth about Shadowcast," said Botan, "and there is reliable intelligence on Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders. As to the other villains involved, and this Columbina, your guess is as good as mine." She then smiled confidently, "still, 'ours not to reason why' as they say."

"Yeah," said Yusuke, "alright, I'll go drag Kuwabara from whatever he's doing and go kick some demon and Heartless ass. Hell, we might even be done before Hiei and Kurama show up. We may not even need Sora and his pals."

"I hope it's that easy for once," said Botan, "after the pounding you and Kuwabara took from the Togoro Brothers…"

"Ah, those two weren't so tough," said Yusuke confidently, "so what if the big guy could make himself stronger by making his muscles bigger? So what if the little creep could become an indestructible weapon? We still kicked their asses and saved the damsel in distress," Yusuke then laughed again, "and I still can't get over the fact that Kuwabara's in love!"

"Oh, like you've never been in love," said Botan in a teasing manner, "I've seen how much you care for Keiko."

At that Yusuke blushed heavily, "What? No! Keiko and I are just friends, that's all!"

"Sure you are!" teased Botan. She then pulled out a large wooden oar and sat on it, the oar hovering in midair like a broomstick, "I'll go round up Hiei and Kurama now, good luck!" With that she flew away on her oar.

"Man," said Yusuke as he walked out of the alley onto the larger street, "I ought to find a better line of work. At least a regular job doesn't have such annoying bosses, I hope."

**The end of chapter 1.**

_Next chapter will bring our heroes face to face with Yubaba, while Kairi makes a new set of friends. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	3. Chapter 2: The Witch of the Bathhouse

_Last time found our heroes and allies meeting up with Ognio Chihiro, whom guided them to Yubaba's Bathhouse in the spirit world. There they met up with a handful of spirits whom Chihiro had met when she ventured into the spirit world when she was younger. Meanwhile, the dark cabal consisting of The Three High Priests of Gorgom, The Lord of Illusions, Brother Courtney, the fog-like demon Shadowcast and a mysterious woman in black, conspired to steal something from Yubaba. At roughly the same time, newlyweds Rapunzel and Eugene encountered Kairi and decided to help her. Elsewhere, Alegra met and conscripted the assistance of one Urameshi Yusuke. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 2: The Witch of the Bathhouse**

"This place is huge!" Sora exclaimed as he and the others were shown by Lin and Chihiro through the bathhouse. Aside from the many frog spirits maintaining the establishment, there were also several Yuna spirits, women with slug-like attributes; elongated faces and bodies, as well as long black hair and high eyebrows. They were responsible for serving the bathhouse guests, as well as cooking, cleaning and building maintenance.

At first glance, the many workers of the bathhouse eyed Sora, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Tara, Jana, Hezekiah, Felicia, Julia, Steven, Mark, Frankie, Andy, Howleen and Toralei with suspicious eyes that borderline on hostility. But then they saw that Lin was with them, so they relaxed somewhat. But then they recognized Chihiro and welcomed her as a long lost friend, while at the same time becoming more open towards our heroes and allies.

"Yeah, they're all a nice bunch," said Lin after Sora and the others got past the bathhouse workers and made their way towards the elevators, "when they're not scrambling for tips from the customers."

"I thought Yubaba raised everyone's pay," said Chihiro.

"She did," said Lin, "but unfortunately, nearly everyone working here wants more. Me, I'm okay with what I've got, but I'm still saving up. Once I have enough and when I figure out where to go, I'll tell Yubaba to kiss my weasel butt and get out of here."

"You're a weasel?" Frankie asked, "you look like a Normie to me."

"And you're no human," said Lin as she eyed Frankly coldly.

"What…I…of course I'm human," said Frankie nervously as she tried to laugh it off, "I'm just your average Normie girl out on an adventure."

"Oh, forget about it, Frankie," said Toralei, "the jig is up, she knows we're Monsters."

"She knows?" Andy asked as his hand went to his Shimmer belt buckle, while Howleen touched her earrings.

"She knew the second she saw us," said Toralei, "so there's no reason why we should hide who we are." She then touched her earring in a manner that deactivated the Shimmer, returning her to her werecat form.

"Wow!" said an astonished Chihiro, "I mean, I knew that you were Monsters, but to really see you the way you really are, it's just…wow!"

"You think Toralei's impressive," said Howleen, "check this out!" she then deactivated her Shimmer, revealing her true werewolf form, while Frankie deactivated her Shimmer.

"I…don't think I will," said Andy.

"Why not?" Frankie asked, "Sora and the others are okay with us being Monsters, and so is Chihiro."

"Darn right I'm okay with it," said Chihiro.

"I'm okay too, just so you know," said Lin.

"Now that we don't have to worry about scaring anyone," said Frankie, "I feel kinda silly about hiding my true, terrifying self."

"You shouldn't be ashamed about who you are," said Felicia, "we Meta Humans have to keep our existence a secret because mortals, as a whole, would be terrified of our powers." She then frowned, "now that I think about it, it's a stupid policy."

"It's what the higher ups in The Bureau decided when they first started using Metas," said Julia.

"That was decided when the world was still scared of Nazi's and communists," Felicia, "our world has changed since the 1940's and 50's. It's better in some ways, worse in others, but humanity has grown. If they can accept Monsters, if only on a 'live and let live' level, then they should be able to accept humans with super powers."

"We can take it up with Patricia when we get home," said Mark, "but right now we need to focus on the mission."

"And our mission right now is to talk to Yubaba," said Riku.

"Which I'm going to call her about right now," said Lin.

But then one of the frogs ran up to the group, "Lin! The boss wants to talk to you right now!"

"She does?" Lin asked, "well, better not keep the big cheese waiting." She then went to a nearby telephone that had a blinking red jewel, signifying a call on hold.

Lin picked up the receiver and pressed the jewel, "I'm here, boss…yes…yes, she's here…they're all here, how did you…of course you knew, I'm not doubting your powers, boss…no, I'm not making fun of you…I'm not making fun of you…I am not making fun of you, boss! I'm just…yes…yes, I'll send them right up…no, no it's just them…okay…yeah, I'll keep an eye out for them…yes, I know they're very important customers from another world…I'll make sure they get the full treatment…I'll dock my own pay if they're dissatisfied at all, just leave everything to me…yes, they're on their way up right now." With that she hung up.

"That didn't sound too good," said a concerned Chihiro.

"Yubaba's been under a lot of stress," said Lin, "but she'll talk to you and the others, Sen. She knew you were coming, don't ask me how, probably some crystal ball spell or something. Anyway, she wants to talk to you, Sora and the others, and to send the other group up as soon as they get here."

"What other group?" Aiden asked.

"She didn't say," Lin remarked.

"Well, Alegra did say that others would be coming," said Sora.

"I'd like to know where she gets her information," said Tess.

"Later," said Riku.

"I know," said Tess.

Lin then showed our heroes to the elevators and took them up to the top floor of the bathhouse They found themselves in a dark hallway, nearby stood a pair of large doors.

"Her apartment is on the other side of the doors," said Lin as she walked back to the elevator, "good luck."

"You're not coming in with us?" Chihiro asked.

"Are you kidding?" Lin asked "she doesn't want to talk with me, and I don't want be more involved than I already am. No offense, kid, but my neck isn't worth it."

"And ours is?" Aiden asked.

"You're the heroes here," said Lin, "I'm just a bathhouse foreman." She then walked into the elevator, "good luck!" she said again as the doors closed and it went back down.

"For some reason I feel insulted," said Howleen.

"You ain't alone, kido," said Toralei.

"Oh, she wasn't so bad," said Frankie, "at least she wished us good luck."

"You'll find that luck is only half the battle," said Tara.

"We'd better not keep Yubaba waiting," said Chihiro as she went to the doors. She was about to turn the handle and open them when she hesitated, "oh, no, not again." Her hand then went up to a doorknocker shaped like the head of an old woman and used it, knocking on the door three times.

Just then the doorknocker spoke, "well, looks like someone remembers her manners," it said. With that the door opened.

"What was that all about?" Sora asked.

"Uh," said a slightly embarrassed Chihiro, "I was kinda rude the first time I came to Yubaba's door."

"Let's hope that time does indeed heal all wounds," said Felicia.

Everyone then walked into the room beyond the doors, a long hall filled with multiple rows and columns of elaborately carved and painted pillars.

"I'll say this about the old witch," said Toralei as she ran a finger down one of the pillars, "she knows how to decorate a foyer."

"I'm amazed you even know how to use that word," said Mark.

"Watch it, pretty boy!" snapped Toralei as she brandished her claws, "or you'll never watch anything again."

"Just making an observation," said Mark.

Just then everyone heard the voice from the doorknocker again, "I don't have all day to wait while you admire my home!"

Suddenly, Sora and the others were pulled forward by a force that was almost like gravity. Within seconds, they were dragged through the pillar hall, past several more sets of doors and eventually arrived in a lavish study where several priceless treasures were displayed. A set of windowed doors opened out onto a balcony, with a warm fire burning in a nearby fireplace.

Sitting at a large oak desk was a large old woman of undetermined age. She was of average height but was proportionately huge, with an enormous head with a long nose and gray hair tied un a bun, a large mark between her huge brown eyes, gold earrings and wore a blue ruffled dress. She sat at her desk, counting gold coins.

"Well, Sen," said the old woman, Yubaba, without looking up from her coin counting, "you certainly grown up and out quite nicely." She then looked up at Chihiro, "and how are your darling parents? Have they learned their lesson?"

"If you mean if they've messed in things they shouldn't have," said Chihiro, "my mom and dad are fine living ordinary, normal lives. And what about you, Yubaba? I heard that you've become more open minded."

"Where there's opportunity to earn profit," said Yubaba, "you seek and grab it, even if it means accepting some changes and exploring new ideas." She then summoned an image of the nearby hotel and gardens, "take this for example. Who would have thought that so many humans on other worlds have interest in my little enterprise here."

"But your operations are being threatened by demons and Heartless," said Riku.

"Well, aren't you the perceptive Keyblade Wielder," said Yubaba. She then stood up and walked over, stopping by each of our heroes and allies to look at them, examining them from head to toe, "yes, yes you all have admirable qualities."

"Admirable?" Roxas asked, "is that all you've got to say about us?"

"What I've got to say about you all would fill volumes," said Yubaba, "but there's simply no time, and time is money," she then sat down at her desk again and summoned a large pipe and used a fire spell to light it with her finger.

Aiden let out an annoyed grunt as he moved away to avoid smelling the smoke.

"Oh don't be such a prude," said Yubaba. She then took a long puff from her pipe and exhaled the smoke through her large nostrils, "honestly, young man, you're overreacting."

"Overreacting?!" Aiden asked in an outraged tone, "you're poisoning yourself! Do you have any idea just how many toxic substances are in tobacco!?"

"And do you have any idea how long it took me to create a spell that neutralizes the various toxins in tobacco?" Yubaba asked, "besides, my brand of tobacco has no noxious odor."

"She's right," said Howleen as she sniffed the air.

"So, you see, young man," said Yubaba to Aiden as she pointed her pipe at him, "I'm not hurting anyone with my smoke. I'm an old, old woman with few pleasures in life, and I only have a few puffs a day, so why not indulge myself?" she then took another puff and exhaled the smoke through her nose.

"I still think it's wrong," said Aiden stubbornly.

"Why don't we just table this issue for now," said Naminé, "and get down to business."

"My favorite word," said Yubaba as she vanished her pipe, "now, about these demons and Heartless."

"You want us to get rid of them before they seriously bother your customers," said Steven.

"My regular guests are already bothered," said Yubaba, "but what's worse is that the dark things haven't actually harmed anyone, just scared them," she then sighed with frustration, "and there's nothing I can do to make those things stop! I've tried shield spells and wards, I've tried protective charms and runes, I've even tried going out and blasting them myself, and I have blasted quite a few!

"But it's not enough! No matter how many I destroy, more keep coming! The only thing I've been able to do is keep them out of the main throughway from the harbor to the bathhouse and from getting inside the bathhouse, but I have to renew the protective magic at every sundown, thank the heavens that the creatures only come out at night."

"Where else have the demons and Heartless been seen?" Tess asked.

"All over the grounds around the bathhouse," said Yubaba, "they've ignored the hotel, garden and human guests, fortunately, otherwise I would have lost that avenue of profit."

"You mean you've left humans exposed to the threat of demons and Heartless!?" exclaimed Malcolm, "forgive me, but are you insane!?"

"I've been called worse," said Yubaba, "now, apparently, the dark creatures have no interest in the visiting humans, only the bathhouse, it's staff and guests. Whatever intelligence that is controlling the things, it seeks someone or something inside my establishment, and I won't have it!"

"What could do you think the enemy wants?" Riku asked.

At that Yubaba sighed, "It could be anything," she then stood up and walked around the room, looking at the various treasures on display, "I've acquired several priceless items in gold, silver, precious gems, paintings, statues, not to mention several magical items of equally priceless value. And then, there's my employees. Many who work here have rather…colorful backgrounds."

"Colorful?" Frankie asked. "Colorful how?"

"I may hold contracts over all my staff," said Yubaba, "but not all of them are here against their will. Some of them came to me with nowhere else to go; they either had financial problems, family problems, legal problems, or just looking for somewhere to be, something to do.

"Do you think you were the only one to come to me with a sob story, Sen? Well, you're wrong. Kamajii himself had a rather sizeable gambling debt. He's worked it off by now and could have left at any time, but he chose to give you those train tickets. He'll deny it until the end of time, but he truly enjoys working for me."

"I…I didn't know," said an astonished Chihiro.

"While Lin, she was on the run from a jealous boyfriend," said Yubaba. "She's been without her true name for so long, she's forgotten all about it. She's truly found herself as my new foreman, but there is a clause in her contract that allows her to go free as soon as she truly wishes it."

"No way," said a still astonished Chihiro, "wait, was there a clause in my contract?"

"Yes, you just didn't look for the fine print," said Yubaba, "had you stayed with me for five years, you would have been free to go any time you wanted. Of course, you would have to had to leave behind your true name and forget about your parents, but then you would have been free."

"Let me see one of these contracts!" Malcolm insisted, "I want to take a look at this supposed fine print."

"Help yourself," said Yubaba as she summoned a sheet of parchment from her desk. It floated over to Malcolm, "but it won't do you much good. The specifics change to meet the conditions of the specific employees."

"I'd still like a look," said Malcolm as he summoned a magnifying glass and examined the contract.

"Anyway," said Yubaba, "I'm at my wits end with these blasted demons and Heartless. I can't worry about those horrible things and run my bathhouse at the same time."

"Say no more, we'll take care of it," said Sora.

"Fighting demons, Heartless and other dark things is what we Keyblade Wielders do best," said Riku.

"We've fought this kind of enemy before," said Mark, "we can handle any dark nasty that comes our way."

"Slice them up," said Felicia.

"Blast their brains out," said Julia.

"Or just rip them to pieces," said Steven, "that always work."

"And whoever or whatever's controlling the demons and Heartless," said Tara, "we'll stop them as well."

"Wait, maybe we can figure this out without fighting," said Frankie.

"What…what do you mean?" Sora asked, "how can we stop the enemy without fighting? We've always fought the enemy."

"There are alternatives to fighting," said Andy, "have you ever tried negotiating with the adversary?"

"You mean sit down and talk with the enemy?" Tess asked, "no, we've never done that."

"You can't just sit down and talk with someone like Xehanort and Maleficent," said Riku, "they're beyond negotiating with."

"I'm not surprised," said Frankie, "Kairi told me how horrible those two are."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" said Sora. He then showed Yubaba the sketch of Kairi, "have you seen her?"

"No," said Yubaba as she examined the sketch, "I would remember such a remarkable girl. I'm sorry, young man, but your dear lady is not here, at least as far as I know. But," she saw the disappointed look on Sora's face, "that may change. I'll keep an eye out for her. I'll even ask Zeneba to keep a watch for the girl."

"How are things with Zeneba?" Chihiro asked.

"Better, somewhat," Yubaba said, "better. We've stopped trying to meddle in each others affairs. I stay out of Swamp Bottom, she stays out of my bathhouse, we don't steal each others magical items and we maintain a cordial dialog." She then frowned, "but I haven't forgiven Zeneba enough to ask for her to come here and help. We've had too much bad blood between us to patch things up during a crisis. I'll ask my sister to watch out for the girl but that's it!"

"As long as she's looking," said Chihiro.

"Yeah, she might get lucky," said Sora in a hopeful tone.

"Then let's get started," said Riku, "we've got until sunset to get ready for the demons and Heartless."

"I'll ask Lin to show you around the grounds," said Yubaba, "she'll provide you with all the information you need."

"We'll be sure to give the enemy a welcome they'll never forget," said Aiden.

"Uh, Yubaba?" Chihiro asked, "have you heard from…"

"From Haku?" Yubaba asked irately. She exhaled sharply, a few burning embers escaping from her lungs, "I haven't seen nor heard from that backstabbing worm of a dragon since he left five years ago, nor do I wish to hear from him. Whatever feelings you have for him, Sen, forget about them. Haku may have helped you before, but he's moved on, as have I and so should you."

"I don't believe that," said Chihiro stubbornly, "Haku…he…"

Sora and the others could guess what Chihiro was about to say but she just couldn't say it.

"It doesn't matter," said Yubaba, "Haku is gone, but the demons and Heartless are still here."

Chihiro took a bracing breath and nodded in a serious manner, "I understand. I'll do what I can to fight the enemy."

"Then there's nothing else to say," said Yubaba. She then summoned an orange crystal and tossed it to Chihiro, "use this to let me know how things are going. Now, good luck, fight well and when this is all over," she then summoned several sheets of gold-colored parchment, "free passes to the bathhouse, on me. This includes room at the hotel, meals and full treatment in the baths."

"Wow, that's really generous of you, Yubaba," said Chihiro, yet Sora noticed that she was eying Yubaba suspiciously, but he put it out of his mind.

"I have my moments," said Yubaba, "now, get to it, young heroes!"

"We won't let you down," said Sora as he and everyone else bowed in respect.

They all then left the study and headed for the elevators.

"What do you think?" Hezekiah asked, "is the ancient sage on the level?"

"I couldn't tell," said Julia, "she's…something else."

"Greedy, shrewd and cunning," said Toralei. She then smiled, "I like her already."

"But she's also serious," said Malcolm, "she wouldn't need our help if she wasn't over he head in this matter."

"What about us?" Andy asked, "are we in over our heads?"

"We've been in deep trouble before," said Sora, "and we always come out of it in the end."

"Sometimes without a scratch," said Aiden.

"Let's hope that this time is one of those times," said Howleen, "I just know Clawdeen's gonna kill me if I don't come back alive."

"I think we'll have other things to worry about," said Aiden, "but that's just my opinion."

* * *

"She's still out of it," said Rapunzel as she and Eugene stood by a bed in their hotel suite. Kairi lay on the bed, a bandage wrapped around her head where Rapunzel hit her with the frying pan.

"What'd you expect?" Eugene asked, "you really conked her noggin."

"Yeah, well, she wasn't herself," said Rapunzel.

"How can you be sure of that?" Eugene asked, "how do we know she's not an escaped lunatic? She's probably some kind of psychopath."

"I don't think so," said Rapunzel as she looked at the unconscious Kairi, "she…I have a feeling that she isn't right in her head, but she's not really crazy. She needs our help, or…or something bad will happen."

"How bad?" Eugene asked.

"I…I don't know," said Rapunzel, "but I'm not going to turn my back on her," she then reached down to hold Kairi's hand, "whatever's happened to her, I won't let her stand alone."

"She's not doing much standing right now," said Eugene.

At that Kairi opened her eyes and looked at Eugene, "just wait until I stand up, I'll show you I'm not fragile."

"Oh my gosh!" said Rapunzel, "are…are you…"

"I'm a little sore all over," said Kairi as she stat up. She then winced as her hand went up to her forehead, "and I've got the headache of all headaches. What happened?"

"You…kinda scared me," said Rapunzel in a slightly embarrassed tone, "so I…"

"She bonked you on the head with a frying pan," said Eugene.

"Oh," said Kairi, "that explains the pounding in my forehead," she then looked around the room, "where am I now?"

"A special hotel in the spirit realm," said Rapunzel, "Eugene and I are here on our honeymoon. I'm Rapunzel, by the way."

"Kairi," she said, "now that I've calmed down, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Kairi," said Eugene, "now, if you don't mind, what are you doing here?"

At that Kairi lay back down in the bed, "I don't know," she said, "I'm starting to think my whole life has become one big nightmare," her eyes began welling up with tears, "and it'll only end when I'm dead. Everyone I love is dead or has been turned into horrible things that want to destroy me."

"What?" Rapunzel asked, "that can't be right. Surely you have friends and family you can…"

At that Kairi sat back up and glared angrily at Rapunzel, "didn't you hear me!? Everyone I love is dead or transformed into monstrous things! Everyone I make friends with ends up dead or turned. I'm cursed, I realize it now! I'm cursed, so the sooner I get used to it, the better off everyone else will be," she then moved to get out of bed, but Rapunzel gently pushed her back down.

"You're in no shape to be going anywhere," said Rapunzel, "the hotel doctor said that you need at least a day's rest."

"Doctors," said Kairi as she sat back up and undid the bandage around her head, "I don't really need them." She then healed the large bump on her head where she was struck by the frying pan. Kairi then realized that Rapunzel and Eugene were looking at her with astonished eyes, while Eugene looked like he was about to shout in fright. "What? You've never seen healing magic before?"

"Oh, you've got magic too?" Rapunzel asked. She then realized that her husband was about to overreact. "Please don't freak out!" she said hastily to Eugene, whose mouth was wide open, a stunted scream on the tip of his tongue.

"Uh…I'm not freaking out," said Eugene rapidly, "are you freaking out? I'm certainly not, I'm just admiring the fantastic power our new friend just displayed and the remarkable similarity it bears to yours," he then looked at Kairi, "how long have you been doing that, by the way?"

"A while," said Kairi, "look, I'm sorry I frightened you and I do appreciate you helping me, I really do, but the best thing for you two is to keep as far away from me as you can."

"Nonsense," said Rapunzel, "I refuse to believe that such a fantastic person like you is cursed. And I can take care of myself," she then hefted her frying pan, "I've got this little gem and I know how to use it."

At that Kairi laughed as the image of the tentacle monster that had been haunting her, being bashed in the head by Rapunzel and her frying pan.

"There's that smile I've been looking for," said Rapunzel as she also smiled.

"Hey, I can take care of myself and my wife too, you know," said Eugene, "I'm smarter than I look."

"I'll bet that's what you say to all your enemies," said Kairi.

"Actually, I just try to talk my way out of a sticky situation," said Eugene, "words are just as powerful as swords, as well as cunning and a dirty trick here and there."

"Just how many tight spots have you been in?" Kairi asked.

"A lot more than I'd like to count," said Eugene, "needless to say, my days as the gentleman thief Flynn Ryder are over."

"And you're the one who changed him," said Kairi as she looked at Rapunzel.

"Guilty as charged," said a smiling Rapunzel as she held Eugene's hand.

"Well," said Kairi, "I too have been in sticky situations before, but none like what I've been through."

"I think it'll help you feel better if you talk about it," said Rapunzel.

"It might just," said Kairi, "well…" she then blinked in surprised confusion, "did you know that there's a chameleon on your shoulder?"

"Oh, that's just Pascal," said Rapunzel as she looked down at her left shoulder, where Pascal had been the whole time, "he's a friend." At that Pascal smiled and waved at Kairi.

"Nice to meet you, Pascal," said Kairi. She then took a bracing breath and told Rapunzel, Eugene and Pascal about Sora and the others, how they were killed by the tentacle creature that stole Sora's face, turned Riku and the others into zombies, how they've been hounding her from one world to another and how every friend she has made has turned into a living nightmare that sought her own destruction.

"And there you have it," said Kairi, "now do you believe I'm cursed?"

"I'm starting to think that way," said Eugene cautiously.

"Not me," said Rapunzel, "I'm just stubborn that way. Kairi, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, not as long as I'm alive, and I plan to stay alive for a long time."

At that Kairi laid back on the bed, laying on her side facing away from Rapunzel and Eugene, "you won't be so eager to stay with me when the thing with Sora's face starts tearing you apart."

"I'm still not going to abandon you," said Rapunzel, "you see, my heart tells me that you need my help, so I'm going to help you, whether you want it or not. And don't even try to run away, I know a horse who can sniff you out in a heartbeat."

At that Kairi sat back up and looked at Rapunzel, "what kind of horse can do that?"

"A horse that reduced crime in our kingdom to almost nothing overnight," said Eugene, "and hogged all the apples, by the way."

At that Kairi smiled, "you know, I've got a feeling that you really can help me," she looked at Eugene, "you two, and Pascal, and your super horse."

"We'll introduce you to Maximus before sundown," said Rapunzel.

"What happens at sundown?" Kairi asked cautiously.

"That's when all the spirits come out to play," said Rapunzel, "and come to the bathhouse to refresh themselves." She then held up the two silver tickets, "and that's where we're going."

"Sounds like fun," said Kairi, "but I don't think I'm invited."

"Leave that to me," said Rapunzel as she smiled confidently, "Kairi, I think we're going to be very good friends."

"I think you're right," said Kairi, despite her fears about the horrific creatures that had been stalking her. Yet there was something about Rapunzel, something that told Kairi that she could be trusted, while Eugene was also trustworthy as well.

Once again, Kairi dared to hope that her troubles were over, that she would be able to move on from her recent horrors, perhaps find a new life with new friends and, someday, find new love.

* * *

**…The Train Station…Human World Side…**

Fifteen minutes before sundown, a portal opened up and from it emerged Yusuke and another boy his age, although vastly different. He was very tall, well muscled and had curly red hair styled in a pompadour, wearing a blue middle school uniform. This was Kuwabara Kazuma, Yusuke's longtime rival, friend and ally in the fight against evil.

But right now, Kuwabara looked like he was ready to rip Yusuke's head off, "Explain to me again, Urameshi," said Kuwabara in a deep, raspy voice, "what are we doing on a parallel world in the middle of nowhere?" he then looked at the train station, "and what's with this place? It gives me the willies."

"I told you three times already, Kuwabara," said Yusuke in an annoyed tone, "sheesh, if you get any dumber, you wouldn't even be able to sell your brain for scrap."

"Oh shut up!" snapped Kuwabara, "I ain't that dumb! Now what are we doing here?!"

"We're here to stop a demon called Shadowcast," said Yusuke, "I showed you the info Botan gave me."

"Oh yeah," said Kuwabara, "that fog demon who acts like a vampire," he then frowned, "but if he's made of fog, then won't my Spirit Sword just pass right through him, at least I hope not."

"Hey, I'll probably have the same problem with my Spirit Gun," said Yusuke, "but that doesn't mean that we're gonna let this jackass suck the life out of innocent people."

"I never said we should let him get away with his dirty work, Urameshi!" snapped Kuwabara, "but if we can't touch him, how are we gonna stop him?"

"That's what we're gonna talk to that old witch about," said Yusuke, "Botan's info said that this Yubaba, she runs the spirit bathhouse, she might have a spell or something that'll allow us to give Shadowcast a rude awakening."

"I hope so," said Kuwabara, "after that pounding we took from The Togoro Brothers, I'm itching to do some pounding of my own!"

"And if we're lucky," said Yusuke, "we'll get all the pounding done before Kurama and Hiei show up."

"Oh yeah, that'd be sweet!" said Kuwabara eagerly, "I can't wait to see the look of that shorty's face when he shows up and the case is closed! And maybe I'll be able to visit Yukina!"

"Uh…yeah, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you, Kuwabara," said Yusuke hesitantly. _'I wonder if you'll still like Yukina when you find out she's Hiei's sister?'_ he thought.

"Anyway," Yusuke continued, "there's also these other guys we're supposed to team up with. You do remember what I said about Heartless, right?"

"Those things made out of living darkness?" Kuwabara asked, "they don't scare me!"

"Well, they don't scare me either," said Yusuke, "but if what Botan's info says is true, and if they attack in large enough numbers, we could be buried alive."

"No way, Urameshi!" said Kuwabara, "these things are solid, right? So a few punches here, a kick there, one or two Spirit Gun blasts and a few swings of my Spirit Sword, problem solved!"

"It'd be great if it were that easy for once," said Yusuke. "Anyway, we've got a case to solve, so let's get it over with."

"What's the hurry, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked, grinning in a mischievous tone, "got a date planned with Keiko?"

"I…no!" said Yusuke, "damn it, Kuwabara! Not you two! It's bad enough Botan and that Alegra woman teased me about Keiko! We're just friends!" he then raised his fist, "got it?"

"Yeah, whatever," said Kuwabara in a nonchalant tone, "so, how do we get to the bathhouse?"

"This train station is supposed to be the gateway to this area of the spirit world," said Yusuke as he looked at the dilapidated building, "so, let's go in."

"Uh…okay," said Kuwabara hesitantly, "you go first."

"What's the matter, Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked in a teasing manner, "you're not afraid of an abandoned building are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Urameshi!" snapped Kuwabara, "I ain't scared of a crummy old train station!" he then crossed his arms irately, "scared of a train station my eye! And they say I'm stupid!"

"Hey, you said it, not me, pal," said Yusuke, "if you're not scared, then let's get going already," he then checked his watch, "we're supposed to be on the other side of the gateway before sundown, that's supposed to be when the fun really starts."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kuwabara asked in a bold tone, though Yusuke could hear a faint nervous tremor in his voice, "let's go!"

With that the two of them entered the abandoned train station. As they passed through the dust-covered benches, Yusuke saw that Kuwabara was shaking slightly. They then all heard a long, low whistle on the air, causing Kuwabara to shout in fright.

"What the hell, man!" exclaimed Yusuke.

"I…what the hell was that noise?!" Kuwabara.

"It was just a train whistle, you dingbat!" said Yusuke, "you sound like you…" at that Yusuke giggled, "are you still scared of ghosts?"

"No!" exclaimed Kuwabara in a stubborn tone, "I…I'm just having an off day, that's all! So lay off it, Urameshi!"

"Whatever, Kuwabara," said Yusuke in an offhand tone, "just pull yourself together. The last thing we need is another pounding like last time."

"You don't have to remind me," said Kuwabara.

With that the two of them exited the train station and found themselves on the large meadow. Already the sun was rapidly falling towards the horizon, the shadows growing in length. As the day darkened into twilight, the two of them saw the area around them transform.

Buildings began materializing out of thin air, each building reminiscing of a waterfront festival. Shadowy humanoid entities with luminescent eyes also appeared, creatures that were going about tasks that would be fitting in such a waterfront festival. Also there was a large steam powered ferryboat.

Once the sun was fully set, the whole area was lit by bright electric lights, while many spirits, all of them wearing cloaks, were forming a line onto the ferryboat.

"Wow!" said Kuwabara as he and Yusuke looked around at all the spirits, "this place is…just…wow! Are we gonna get on that boat?"

"That's how we're gonna get to the bathhouse," said Yusuke, "oh, one more thing. We can't eat anything while here."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Kuwabara, "what do you mean we can't eat anything!? What if we get hungry?!"

"We'll stay hungry," said Yusuke, "Botan's info said that if we eat anything from the spirit world, we'll be stuck here forever."

"Since when have you ever taken Botan's info seriously?" Kuwabara asked.

"Since now," said Yusuke, "look, I an't happy about this either, so we'll just have to bite the bullet."

"Yeah, I guess so," said Kuwabara in a slightly miserable tone, then spoke with more optimism, "we'll just have to find and take out Shadowcast before dinner."

They boarded the ferry with the many spirits going to the bathhouse and a few minutes later, the boat set off across the large river that had sprung up with nightfall.

It landed at the harbor across the river and the spirits disembarked, journeying up the main avenue towards the bathhouse.

"Now have to talk to Yubaba," said Yusuke as he and Kuwabara walked towards the bathhouse.

"Yeah," said Kuwabara, "hey, any sign of that fog creep on your new Spirit Compass?"

Yusuke held up his watch and pressed a hidden button. A hologram of a compass was projected from the watch face. The compass needle began turning around.

"There's definitely demons here," Yusuke said, "but I can't get a fix on them."

"I sense them too," said Kuwabara, "but they're either too weak, too far away, or they're hiding their demon power really well." He then looked around, "or, it could be all these spirits messing with my mojo."

"That's probably it," said Yusuke as he tapped the watch, but the needle continued to spin without settling, "improved my eye. Botan should have checked it for bugs first!"

As they passed the many restaurants lining the street, they saw that they were all it and the shadowy spirits were busy cooking and serving their mouthwatering wares to hungry customers.

"Oh, man!" exclaimed Kuwabara after a loud rumble emanated from his stomach, "I knew I should have eaten something before we left."

"Just ignore it, Kuwabara," said Yusuke stubbornly, though his stomach was rumbling as well, "unless you want to turn into a pig."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Kuwabara. He then grabbed Yusuke by his jacket, "you never said anything about being turned into pigs, Urameshi!"

"You never asked, Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted.

Just then one of the restaurant spirits called out to the two boys, "hey! You there!"

"Huh?" both Yusuke and Kuwabara asked as they looked at the restaurant spirit.

"Yeah, you two!" said the restaurant spirit, "aren't you Urameshi Yusuke and Kuwabara Kazuma ?"

"Uh…yeah, that's us," said Kuwabara as he let go of Yusuke.

"You're the guys who took down The Saint Beasts," said the restaurant spirit, "you guys are heroes! Here, sit down and enjoy one on the house," the spirit then pulled out a huge side of beef and began cutting paper thin slices.

"Uh…no thanks," said Yusuke, "we…we're not that hungry."

"Nonsense," said the spirit as it tossed the beef slices into a skillet and began cooking it with, noodles vegetables and oil, "two strapping young humans like yourselves need all the nutrients you can get."

"But…we were told…" said Kuwabara as he struggled to hide his desire for the delicious cooking scents.

"Oh, right, humans aren't supposed to eat spirit world food," said the restaurant spirit, "but, fortunately for you two, things are changing at Yubaba's establishment," it walked away from the stove and returned with a pair of charm necklaces, "just put these on and you'll be immune to the pig curse. It'll also curve your appetites so you don't gorge yourselves."

"Gee, thanks," said Yusuke as he and Kuwabara sat down and looked at the charm necklaces, "but…we're kina on a tight budget."

"I told you it was on the house," said the restaurant spirit as it resumed its cooking, "as far as I'm concerned, we all owe you two, and those two others, for taking down The Saint Beasts." It then served up two plates of the beef, noodles and vegetable dish to Yusuke and Kuwabara, "so enjoy."

Not wanting to offend such a friendly spirit, Yusuke and Kuwabara put the charm necklaces on. After a clapping their hands and saying _"Itadakimaus!" _the two of them, cautiously, took bites from their free meal.

"Hey! This is great!" said Kuwabara eagerly. He then began eating faster.

"Slow down, you'll give yourself indigestion," said Yusuke as he struggled to pace himself from devouring the delicious food. "But it is good."

"There's a reason why my venue is the best in the district," said the spirit, "call me Hadome by the way. It's what everyone calls me."

"Well, thanks, Hadome," said Yusuke, "but if you're such a good cook, then…"

"Why am I working for a such a crabby old, greedy bitch like Yubaba?" Hadome asked, "I needed a job, pretty much like most of the spirits working here. I had to give up my real name and I can barely remember who I was before coming here, but it ain't so bad. I'm friends with most of the restaurant owners and bathhouse staff, I love my cooking, and," it then leaned closer to the two boys, "I get to hear all sorts of interesting things, if you know what I mean."

"I think I know what you mean," said Yusuke. He then glared at Kuwabara, "you gonna listen or stuff yourself?"

"Huh?" Kuwabara asked with a mouthful of noodles. He then hastily swallowed. "Oh, yeah, I'm all ears!"

"If only there was more brain than ears," said Yusuke to himself. He then looked at the restaurant spirit, "so, what do you want to talk about?"

"I hear things about the demons," said Hadome, "they're probing the defenses of the bathhouse, real quite like, so as not to make Yubaba too suspicious. She's a very accomplished witch and if she figured out what the demons were after, she'd run headlong into the jaws of hell to stop them, and probably destroy us all in the process."

"And what are the demons after?" Yusuke asked.

"That, I don't know," said Hadome, "but whatever it is, it's inside the bathhouse, and whoever Shadowcast is working for, he, she, they or it, are desperate to get it."

"Wait a second," said Yusuke, "I never said anything about Shadowcast."

"I certainly didn't," said Kuwabara.

"Like I told you," said Hadome, "I hear things from time to time."

"What else did you hear?" Yusuke asked.

"Shadowcast isn't working alone," said Hadome, "not only does he have an army of lesser demons and Heartless working for him, he's also teamed up with some pretty nasty nasties from another world. I'm still waiting for any info on who these other baddies are, but they're pretty bad."

"We've faced some pretty bad baddies ourselves," said Yusuke.

"And we ain't fragile little boys either!" said Kuwabara.

"In that case," said Hadome, "all I can tell you is to be careful."

"We can try," said Yusuke. He then reached for his wallet, "look, I don't have much, but…"

"I told you the meal was on the house," said Hadome, "just return the charm necklaces and tell others how much you enjoyed my cooking. And one more thing; remember me. I may have forgotten who I was before, but I'll be damned if I allow myself to be forgotten by others."

"Will do," said Yusuke, while Kuwabara nodded in agreement. With that they returned the charm necklaces and headed for the bathhouse.

"Nice boys," said Hadome to himself as he cleaned up after his customers, "I hope they win."

* * *

Deep underground, The Three High Priests of Gorgom were showing Shadowcast, the woman in black, Brother Courtney and The Lord of Illusions through a series of tunnels to a large chamber filled with metal vats that were connected to lab equipment, chemical containers and computers. Several lesser demons wearing lab coats were working at the computers, others were monitoring the flow of chemicals, while throughout the chamber were multiple Neo Shadows and Nova Shadows acting as guards.

"What is that noxious smell?" The Lord of Illusions asked as he summoned a handkerchief that shifted colors and held it up to his nose.

"The scent of the future," said Darom, "the means in which Gorgom shall rise once again and triumph over the light!"

"And from this humble beginning," said Baraom, "a new Creation King shall be born."

"We just need to wait for the next solar eclipse," said Bishium, "and of course, the one thing we need from Yubaba."

"And what is this item that Yubaba has that you need?" Brother Courtney asked.

"The means to create two new Century Kings," said Baraom, "the last pair we made, Black Sun and Shadow Moon, while their powers were impressive, only the latter proved himself up to the challenge we set for the pair."

"Black Sun," said an irate Darom, "Minami Kotaro! I curse the day he refused us!"

"If he was such a poor choice for your new leader," said the woman in black, "then why did you pick him?"

"We had no idea that Black Sun would betray us!" said Bishium irately.

"And why would we suspect?" Baraom asked. "Minami Kotaro and his adopted brother Akizuki Nobuhiko were both born on the day of a solar eclipse, on the exact date in the 50,000 year cycle of the Creation King. Both were prime candidates, equal in physical and mental prowess. They should have accepted the transformative power of The Kingstones and become one with Gorgom!"

"But Black Sun escaped before he could be fully transformed," said Darom, "he chose the name Kamen Rider Black and single-handedly shattered Gorgom. One by one our loyal Mutants were destroyed, while we, the Three High Priests were destroyed as well."

"In the end, not even Shadow Moon could destroy Black Sun!" said Bishium, "nothing we could do could stop Minami Kotaro! Damn him! Damn that filthy traitor!"

"But now," said Darom, "now things will be different! Black Sun is completely unaware that we have been revived. He does not know that Gorgom has returned! He does not know that we are mere steps away from bringing to life a new pair of Century Kings!"

"And when their powers mature," said Baraom, "the Century Kings shall battle to the death! The victor shall be raised up to the mantle of Creation King!"

"And that new Creation King shall lead Gorgom into a new age of dark domination!" said Bishium.

"Indeed," said Brother Courtney.

"An impressive and ambitious dream," said The Lord of Illusions.

"Yes, very impressive," said the woman in black, "I hope you've got all the logistics planned out; government, tax rates and good luck with sanitation." She then laughed, "I'm just teasing. You really shouldn't take everything so serious."

"We don't take everything so serious," said Darom, "but when it comes to the future of Gorgom, we're dead serious."

"And if you value our alliance," said Baraom, "then you had better take things serious too."

"So go easy on the sarcasm," said Bishium.

"I make no promises I can keep," said the woman in black, "but, to be fair, I'll keep my mouth shut. Unless you make things too easy for me." She then laughed again, "I'm sorry, I just can't help myself sometimes."

"Seems to me that you need medication," said The Lord of Illusions, "or extensive therapy."

"Psycho analysis," said Shadowcast.

At that the woman in black glared at the fog-like demon and the vile trickster, "don't you dare make fun of me! I'm not crazy!"

"You certainly have acted otherwise," said The Lord of Illusions.

"Children, please," said Brother Courtney in a placating tone, "let's not allow petty bickering to destroy that which we have labored so hard to create."

"Agreed," said Darom, while Baraom, Bishium and The Lord of Illusions nodded. Shadowcast merely stood there.

"I'll try to behave myself," said the woman in black, "but no promises."

"Smashing," said Brother Courtney, "now, when will the new batch of Mutants be ready?"

"The first will be ready in one hour," said Bishium, "well after sunset."

"By now our reconnaissance demons and Heartless are on the move," said Darom, "testing the defenses of Yubaba's establishment for weaknesses."

"And when such a weakness is found," said Baraom, "our new Mutants shall lead the charge into the bathhouse, steal what we need and return it here."

"Then, when everything is in place," said Bishium, "the new Centruy Kings shall be born!"

"Remind me to send them birthday cards," said the woman in black.

"Pathetic," muttered Shadowcast.

At that the woman in black glared at the fog-like demon, "you're a real bundle of joy to be around, aren't you." At that Shadowcast ignored her.

"I'd refrain from provoking our misty friend," said Brother Courtney, "his ability will drain you of spirit energy before you know what's happening to you."

"I'm just trying to loosen him up," said the woman in black, "make him smile, or at least have a normal conversation," she then looked at Shaowcast and gave a disarming, friendly smile, "I'll bet that before this is over, I can make you say more than two words at a time."

You'd lose," said Shadowcast.

"We'll see about that," said the woman in black boldly.

**The end of chapter 2.**

_Next chapter finds the groups of our heroes drawing closer as the enemy's insidious plans are moved forward, while Alegra recruits another ally. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	4. Chapter 3: Convergence and Conflict

_Last time found our heroes meeting Yubaba and getting a more detailed explanation of the situation. At the same time, Kairi woke up in the company of Rapunzel and Eugene, quickly becoming friends with the newlyweds but still unnerved by her ongoing horrific ordeal. Elsewhere, Yusuke and Kuwabara arrived at the bathhouse resort, picking up information along the way, while Gorgom and Dai-Shocker advanced their insidious plans. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 3: Convergence and Conflict**

"I can't believe how quick it got dark here," said Sora as he, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Tara, Jana, Hezekiah, Steven, Mark, Felicia, Julia, Frankie, Howleen, Andy, Toralei and Chihiro, walked through the hills off to the side of the bathhouse grounds, each of them carrying either a flashlight or a lantern as they searched for demons and Heartless.

"Yeah, it's like that in this world," said Chihiro.

"At least we didn't have to worry about vanishing when the sun went down," said Riku.

"Those berries were delicious," said Aiden. "has anyone thought about making jelly out of them?"

"Not that I know of," said Chihiro.

After the meeting with Yubaba, our heroes met up with Lin again, whom gave them a large bowl full of red berries for them to eat. After being assured that the berries weren't poisonous and would prevent them from disappearing at nightfall, our heroes and allies ate the berries, then set out for the hills to hunt the enemy.

"One thing I don't get," said Malcolm, "Chihiro, you told me that Yubaba was cold, a bit cruel and overall greedy. Yet she seemed downright civil, edging on quite pleasant."

"It's bugging me too," said Chihiro, "I know it's been five years since I was here last, but I'm surprised how nice she was, not nearly as nice as Zeneba, but still nice."

"Maybe she's going through a midlife crisis," said Steven.

"Did you see how old she looked?" Toralei asked, "or are you seriously stupid?"

"I ain't no dummy!" snapped Steven.

"He's just a little slow, that's all," said Felicia, "anyway, maybe Yubaba is having a bit of a crisis of age. I mean, well, how old is she?"

"Centuries," said Tara, whom had a copy of Hogwarts a History in her hands.

"What are you doing with that?" Sora asked.

"Alegra apparently packed it for me," said Tara as she opened the book.

"Pardon me, but what's a book got to do with our current situation?" Andy asked.

"Quite a bit," said Tara as she flipped through the pages, "I thought I recognized Yubaba when I saw her, but it wasn't until we finished the meeting that I remember where I saw her face.

"Sora, you and your friends weren't the first visitors to Hogwarts from another world. It's rare but extra-dimensional witches and wizards come to the castle; some are just visiting, some come to learn." She then stopped on a page that had a drawing of several Hogwarts students, with the drawing dated c. 1490 A.D.

"When a magic user from another world comes to Hogwarts to learn," said Tara, "it's certain to make it into the history books, just like you and the others will, Sora. Anyway, look."

She pointed at the picture at a pair of witches, identical twins with long dark hair, large eyes and noses and identical marks between their eyes.

"Yubaba and Zeneba," said Chihiro as she looked at the picture with amazed eyes, "unbelievable. They…they were actually quite pretty when they were young."

"If this picture is accurate," said Riku as he looked at the image, "then Yubaba is at least 500 years old."

"And she doesn't look a day over 80," said Howleen. She then sniffed the air, "wait a second!" she shouted as she sniffed again, "I smell something foul!"

"It wasn't me!" said Steven.

"Not that!" said Howleen, "it's something dark and evil! Demons and Heartless!"

"Where?" Sora asked as he, Riku, Aiden, Malcolm, Tess and Roxas summoned their Keyblades.

"There!" Howleen shouted as she pointed to the top of the hill. There stood a humanoid demon with a rat-like head and mantis-like hands. It saw our heroes and ran down the other side of the hill.

"After it!" Howleen shouted as she charged headlong after the demon.

"Wait! Don't!" Tess shouted, but Howleen was too fast and before our heroes and allies knew it, the werewolf was out of sight.

"She's more like Clawdeen than she thinks," said Toralei.

"Don't even start on her!" said Frankie. "Come on, we've got to catch up with her!" With that our heroes chased after Howleen. But as they ran, Chihiro pulled out the orange crystal.

"Yubaba!" Chihiro shouted into the crystal, "we've made contact with the enemy!"

* * *

**…The Enemy Base…**

"Another minute or so," said Darom as he, Baraom and Bishium stood in front one of the vats in the lab, "then the first of the new Mutants shall emerge!"

"What kind of creature should we be expecting?" Brother Courtney asked as he, The Lord of Illusions, Shadowcast and the woman in black, stood to the side and watched.

"It could be anything," said Baraom, "or rather, any animal twisted to serve Gorgom."

"We sometimes have mutated plants," said Bishium, "but animals are the norm."

"I can only imagine what would happen if you try to mutate a human," said the woman in black.

"Humans are but a means to an end," said Baraom, "in the end, they shall be exterminated, while the handful whom proven themselves worthy shall remain as servants to the new Creation King."

Just then the vat cracked open and from it emerged a creature that started out as a crocodile but now stood on its hind legs like a human, making it nearly seven feet tall and heavily muscled, while its forepaws had been given opposable thumbs and its eyes glistened with an insidious intelligence. It's skin was greenish brown and scaly like a normal crocodile, but had razor-sharp edges and was tough enough to withstand bullets.

"Welcome, _Wani _Mutant!" said Darom.

The creature, _Wani _Mutant, bowed to the Three High Priests and spoke in a hissing voice, "I live to sserve Gorgom, massterss!"

"A superb specimen," said Brother Courtney.

"But can it get past Yubaba's defenses?" The Lord of Illusions asked.

"We shall soon see if it can," said Bishium, "and should it fail, then we have many more Mutants at our disposal."

"You must offer them a really great benefit package to motivate them," said the woman in black.

"They obey us without question!" snapped Darom, "rarely we have a defective Mutant whom tries to assert independence, but they are quickly eliminated."

"If we so wish it," said Baraom, "then _Wani _Mutant shall destroy himself," he then looked at the crocodile creature, "isn't that right?"

At that _Wani _Mutant bowed again, "if it iss what you command, then I sshall obey, massterss," it said.

Just then a humanoid bat flew into the chamber, landed and knelt in front of The Three High Priests.

"Ah, _Koumori _Mutant," said Darom, "you've return from your scouting mission."

"I thought you said that all your mutants were wiped out," said the woman in black.

"Indeed they were," said Baraom, "but this one," he pointed to the bat creature, _Koumori _Mutant, "was resurrected along with us by Dai-Shocker."

"We thought you might need a little help," said Brother Courtney.

"And he has been of great assistance," said Bishium. "Now, _Koumori _Mutant, what do you have to report?"

"Masters!" said _Koumori _Mutant in a high-pitched, raspy voice, "there are humans at the bathhouse."

"Humans? In this world?" Bishium asked. She then laughed cruelly, "don't be preposterous!"

"Humans cannot survive in spirit world," said Darom, "especially around Yubaba's bathhouse. One bite of the food served there and they'll be cursed into pigs."

"And especially not after nightfall," said Baraom, "if they're wise enough to avoid eating the cursed food, they fade out of existence at the advent of night."

"These humans are here, masters," said Koumori Mutant. "I have evidence!" he then took out a holographic recorder and used it to project the images of Sora and the rest of our heroes.

"Well, isn't that something," said Brother Courtney, "humans in spirit world."

"Not just any humans!" said The Lord of Illusions irately, "I know some of them!" he then pointed at the image of Tess, "That one dared to defy the will of my former master, The Puppeteer! She and her Keyblade Wielding ilk! They're all here!" he then pointed at Sora, Riku, Malcolm, Aiden, Roxas and Naminé, "wait, one of them is missing."

"So, the Keyblade Wielders are here," said Brother Courtney as he looked at the image of Sora and the others, "a bit sooner than I had hoped, but now's as good as any time to eliminate them."

"And the others?" The Lord of Illusions asked as he looked at the images of Tara, Jana, Hezekiah, Felicia, Julia, Steven, Mark, Chihiro, Frankie, Andy, Howleen and Toralei.

"If they're with Sora and his friends, then yes," said Brother Courtney, "Dai-Shocker has too many enemies as it is. The less lose cannons we have to deal with, the better for us."

At that the woman in black laughed, "are you serious?" she asked, "you're getting upset over less than a score of children? They hardly look threatening."

"Fool!" snapped The Lord of Illusions, "my master and I underestimated The Keyblade Wielders, and look where it got us! The Puppeteer; the most powerful manipulator in all of time and space, dead, while I was left drifting in the primal darkness."

"And you would have drifted forever," said Brother Courtney, "if it weren't for The Enigma Order, and though us, Dai-Shocker."

"For which I'll be eternally grateful," said The Lord of Illusions, "now," he then glared at the images of our heroes and allies, "what to do with these interlopers? I have so many ideas already."

"Why not let our scaly friend destroy them?" the woman in black asked.

"Why not indeed?" Brother Courtney asked. He then looked at the Three High Priests, "well?"

"Ssend me, massterss!" said _Wani _Mutant, "allow me the honor of dissmembering the meddling bratss."

"We shouldn't be too hasty," said Baraom, "this is a new enemy. We should wait until we learn more about them."

"We can learn about them by engaging them in battle!" said Bishium, "that way we shall observe how well they fight, as well as their weaknesses."

"Indeed," said Darom. He then looked at the crocodile creature, "_Wani _Mutant! Take a force of Heartless and Demons and destroy the interlopers!"

"I obey, masstersss!" hissed Wani Mutant. He bowed and left the chamber.

"The brats don't stand a chance!" laughed Bishium.

"I'd thing twice before making that statement if I were you," said The Lord of Illusions.

"Many have underestimated Sora and his Keyblade Wielder friends," said Brother Courtney, "and many have met their doom at their hands."

"They did not know the power of Gorgom!" snapped Bishium, "The Keyblade Wielders and their pathetic friends shall fat before our might!"

"Seeing is believing," said the woman in black, "so let us see if your bite is stronger than your bark."

* * *

**…The Bathhouse…A few minutes ago…**

"So, you two are those spirit detectives everyone's talking about," said Lin as she escorted Yusuke and Kuwabara through the building.

"Actually, I'm the spirit detective," said Yusuke. He then pointed at Kuwabara, "he's just my kooky sidekick."

"I ain't no one's sidekick!" snapped Kuwabara as he irately raised his fist, "and I sure ain't kooky!"

"Could have fooled me," said Yusuke as he grinned mischievously, while Kuwabara looked increasingly enraged.

Lin laughed at this, "you two certainly are strange humans, but the other kids who were here had their odd points too."

At that Kuwabara calmed down and looked at Lin with confused eyes, while Yusuke was equally puzzled, "what other kids?" Kuwabara asked.

"You don't know?" Lin asked, "you don't know about Sora and those other Keyblade Wielders?"

"Oh, yeah," said Yusuke, "we were told about them. So, they got here first, huh?"

"You just missed them," said Lin, "they're out there in the hills hunting demons and Heartless."

"Then what are we doing in here?" Kuwabara asked, "let's catch up with them!"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said a grinning Yusuke.

"Hold on a second!" said Lin, "Yubaba's expecting you two."

"Why bother talking to the old witch?" Yusuke asked, "the other guys are already stomping the guts of the demons and Heartless bothering your boss."

"Yeah, and if we don't get out there quick," said Kuwabara, "there won't be any butts for us to kick! Hey, that rhymes."

"Just cool it, you two," said Lin, "when the boss lady wants to talk to someone, they talk to her, or else."

"Or else what?" Yusuke asked as he and Kuwabara eyed Lin suspiciously.

"Ever hear of a 'Hong Kong Headache?'" Lin asked.

"Uh…no," said Kuwabara in a confused tone.

"Nope, never heard of it," said Yusuke.

"What about a 'Neapolitan Nightmare?'" Lin asked.

"I'm drawing a blank," said Yusuke.

"What is it?" Kuwabara asked, "and what was that first one?"

"I don't know," said Lin, "but I heard they're supposed to be awful, almost more than a human can bare without going insane. So, unless you two want to know just what a Hong Kong Headache and a Neapolitan Nightmare is, then I suggest you go talk with Yubaba."

"Listen, lady," said Yusuke irately, "I don't like being pushed around by people. It's bad enough my old lady nags me at home. I also gotta deal with Botan and Koenma harping on my ass, and don't get me started on all the bull crap I have to put up with at school."

"What about Keiko?" Kuwabara asked.

"Well…I'm used to her," said Yusuke in a slightly embarrassed tone, "my point is that I don't take too kindly to threats to my personal being."

"You think I'm happy about this?!" Lin asked irately, "I'm not! I'm just trying to do my job, just as everyone working at the bathhouse is. But we've got a problem and it's making things really difficult for everyone here. Sora and his gang are here to help us, just as you two are, so why don't you two idiots get with the program and go talk with Yubaba!?"

"Shesh, lady," said Yusuke, "you've made your point."

"And I thought my sister was mean," said Kuwabara, "so, let's go talk to Yubaba already."

"Glad I got my point across," said Lin.

A short time later found Lin, Yusuke and Kuwabara riding the elevator up to Yubaba's apartment on the top floor.

"Penthouse, huh?" Yusuke asked as he and Kuwabara got off the elevator, "well, here's one witch who enjoys the good life."

"You ain't kidding, kido," said Lin as she got back into the elevator.

"You're not coming with us?" Kuwabara asked.

"Hey, I'm just the bathhouse foreman," said Lin, "I'm doing more than my job description calls for. Just hit the button to call the elevator back up and pull the lever to go back down, it's simple." With that the elevator closed and went back to the lower levels of the bathhouse.

"Well, that was rude of her," said Yusuke, "well, let's get this over with."

"Yeah, the sooner we talk to Yubaba," said Kuwabara, "the sooner we get to the fun part of the case."

"Kicking demons in the ass," said Yusuke as he and Kuwabara walked up to the big doors. Yusuke touched the doorknob, when the doorknocker came alive.

"What's the matter with you!" the doorknocker asked irately with Yubaba's voice, "didn't your mother ever teach you to knock first!? Probably not, considering how rude a son she raised!"

"Hey! My mom's not perfect, so lay off of her!" snapped Yusuke. He then blinked in confusion, "did that doorknocker just talked?"

"I saw it too," said a nervous Kuwabara, "maybe…"

"It's just a spell, you lunkheads!" snapped the doorknocker, "so get in here before you lose any more brain cells." With that the doors flew open. Yusuke and Kuwabara then found themselves dragged through the columned hall and were thrown unto the rug in Yubaba's office.

"What's wrong with so many of today's youth?" Yubaba asked as she stood up from her desk, "always moving so fast they haven't time to learn proper manners."

"Well, excuse me for being antiestablishment, lady," said Yusuke as he and Kuwabara picked themselves up off of the floor.

"You really should have knocked, Urameshi," said Kuwabara.

"What else can I say?" Yusuke asked, "I'm just stubborn."

"And that stubbornness will be either your salvation or damnation, young spirit detective," said Yubaba as she walked over to Yusuke and Kuwabara, "now, let's have a look at you," she then walked around the two boys in an appraising manner, "mmmmm…yes, yes, you two definitely have the right stuff."

"Well, duh!" said Kuwabara, "we're the toughest, meanest, strongest punks at school! And we're pretty darn good heroes to boot!"

"Yes, you have great power, and it will only become greater with each challenge you face," said Yubaba, "but this may be one challenge you may not survive."

"What are you talking about?" Yusuke asked in an annoyed tone, "a couple demons and Heartless shouldn't be that hard to beat."

"I fear that there may be more than just simple demons and Heartless," said Yubaba. She then walked over to the window and looked out, "there is still much that I do not understand about the situation; too many unknown variables. I fear that whomever or whatever is behind the demons and Heartless, may be only part of a greater, darker conspiracy."

"Wouldn't surprise me that much," said Yusuke. "But what else could there be other than Shadowcast?"

"A far deeper plot than just a rogue psychic vampire," said Yubaba, "but enough of that. The Keyblade Wielders and their allies are already out looking for the source of the troubles here, and so should you."

"You read my mind, lady" said Kuwabara, "come on, Urameshi, let's get going!"

"Hold it, Kuwabara," said Yusuke, "I've got one more thing to ask." He then looked at Yubaba, "do you have any idea what those demons and Heartless want here?"

"I have my suspicious," said Yubaba, "they could be after treasure, I have some pretty valuable items, both magical and material. Perhaps they're after one of my employees, quite a few of my workers have rather…interesting backgrounds. I've already begun looking into my staff to see if one of them may be in trouble."

Just then they heard something vibrate from within Yubaba's desk. She then pulled out an orange crystal and from it came Chihiro's voice, "Yubaba! We've made contact with the enemy!"

"Already?" Yubaba asked. She then responded into the crystal, "Sen, tell the others to stay where you are! I'm sending you backup!"

"Backup?!" Kuwabara asked in an annoyed tone, "we're nobody's backup!"

"Who's that?" Chihiro asked.

"Your backup," said Yubaba, "just hold fast and wait, Sen."

"Uh…that may not be possible," said Chihiro, "we're already in the middle of a chase and it doesn't look like we'll be able to stop."

At that Yubaba sighed, "just like I said; the young these days are so impatient," she then spoke into the crystal, "alright, just don't take any unnecessary chances. Help is on the way!"

"Will do!" said Chihiro.

Yubaba then summoned a blue crystal and tossed it to Yusuke, "this will lead you to Sen and her friends. Now get to it! I sense that our friends are being lead into a trap."

"The only ones being trapped are the baddies," said Yusuke as he confidently smiled.

"Yeah, trapped between a rock, a hard place and our fists!" said Kuwabara.

"Then get out there already!" said Yubaba. With that she used a spell that sent Yusuke and Kuwabara hurtling out of the study, through the hall of columns and depositing them right in front of the elevator.

"Shesh, and I thought Genkai was crazy," said Yusuke as he and Kuwabara got back up. They took the elevator down to the ground floor and hurried out the front door, running across the bridge to the restaurant district, just as Rapunzel, Eugene and Kairi reached the bridge from the other side.

"Who was that?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know," said Rapunzel, "I thought we were the only humans here, at least that's what the hotel manager said."

"Maybe they're camping somewhere else," said Eugene, "or maybe they slumming it."

"I don't think so," said Kairi in a suspicious tone, "I have a feeling that there's something about those two. Something…"

"What?" Rapunzel asked.

"I don't know," said Kairi, "I…I just don't know."

"You're just stressed out," said Eugene, "but now we're in for a treat."

"Assuming they let me in," said Kairi, "you only got two tickets."

"We still haven't figured out what to do about that," said Rapunzel.

"Leave everything to me," said Eugene as she gave Rapunzel and Kairi a confident smile and wink.

They then crossed the bridge and approached the front door of the bathhouse, where a small green frog wearing a blue silk jacket was welcoming the spirit gests alongside with a handful of other staff members.

"Ah, our special guests from Corona," said the green frog as he hopped over to Rapunzel, Eugene and Kairi, "you have the passes?"

"Right here," said Eugene as he handed over the pair of silver tickets.

"Yep, everything seems to be in order," said the green frog. He then looked up at Rapunzel and Eugene, but then saw Kairi, "hmmm, you seem to be missing a ticket."

"Uh…yeah," said Eugene, "you see, we were sent three tickets, but one got lost in the mail. These things happen, you know, but I'm sure we can avoid a lot of unpleasant arguing and save a lot of time by letting our young friend here just…walk in?"

"Sorry, no can do," said the green frog, "Yubaba set a strict policy about human guests; no ticket, no entry."

"I'm sure your boss is a stickler for rules," said Eugene, "but…"

"No buts," said the green frog, "rules are rules. If you don't have a ticket, you can't use the bathhouse."

"But Kairi came a long way to be with us on this trip," said Eugene, "she had to work weeks of overtime at her job in order to save up enough so she could take a vacation and come with us."

"No can do," said the green frog again.

"But she's been working so hard," said Eugene, "she needs this vacation."

"It's not working," said Kairi, "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Just give me a chance," Eugene whispered, "I've got him right where I want him," he then looked at the green frog again, "look, couldn't you just bend the rules this one time? Do us a favor?"

"No, sorry," said the green frog.

"I could make it worth your wile," said Eugene. He then flicked his wrist and a gold coin appeared between his fingers. He saw the glint of desire in the eyes of the green frog and smiled, "a little extra on the side? What Yubaba doesn't know won't hurt her?'

"Is that…real gold?" the green frog asked in a wanting tone as he reached for the coin. But then he shook his head and backed off, "uh-uh, not again! I learned my lesson about taking strange gold from strangers."

"What could have made you be so afraid of gold?" Rapunzel asked.

"Not gold, just strangers whom give it so willingly," said the green frog. "I'm sorry, but if you're going to try and bribe me, then I'll have to revoke your tickets and ask you to return to your home world."

"We should just go back to the hotel," said Kairi in a defeated tone.

"You're giving us so soon?" Eugene asked, "I haven't even tried _the smolder_."

"Did that ever work for you?" Rapunzel asked. She then looked at the green frog, "look, is it possible to talk to your supervisor?"

"I see no reason why not," said the green frog, "but I can pretty much guarantee that she'll say the same thing I told you."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," said Rapunzel.

A few minutes later Lin walked out, "okay, what's the problem?" she asked.

"Are you the supervisor?" Rapunzel asked.

"I'm the foreman," said Lin in a suspicious tone, "got a problem with that?"

"No, you're just the person I want to talk to," said Rapunzel. She then looked at Eugene, "there's a time for lying, and then there's a time to tell the truth." She then looked at Lin and told her about Kairi, how she was being tormented by the tentacle creature and how she ran into Rapunzel and Eugene at the hotel garden.

"So, I was wondering if an exception to the rule could be made for Kairi," said Rapunzel, "she's been through a living nightmare and I wholeheartedly believe that a visit to your wonderful bathhouse is just what she needs to feel better."

"It's not necessary," said Kairi, "I really don't want to cause any trouble."

"You've been through enough trouble as it is," said Rapunzel in an insisting tone, "you've earned a chance to relax and restore yourself."

"I agree," said Lin, "one girl to another, I fully understand what she's gone through," at that Lin sighed, "but, I'm afraid I have to say no. Yubaba would skin me alive if she knew I allowed a customer in without payment."

"Then let me talk to Yubaba," said Rapunzel, "I'm sure we can come to an understanding."

"I could try _the smolder _on her," said Eugene.

"What is _the smolder_?" Kairi asked.

"You're better off not knowing," Rapunzel whispered.

"I can call the boss and let her know you want to talk," said Lin, "but why bother? She'd still say no," she then mumbled, "the cheep, old, heartless witch."

Just then Aniyaku ran up to them carrying a telephone, "it's the boss, Lin! She wants to talk to you on the double!"

"Really?" Lin asked as she picked up the receiver, "I'm here, Yubaba…yes…yes, Rapunzel and Eugene are here, and so is a third person, Kairi…yes…no, they do not have a third ticket…you want to what?!…no…no, of course not…yes, yes…I'll tell them right away," with that she hung up and addressed Rapunzel, Eugene and Kairi, "it's all okay, Kairi can come in."

"Really!?" Rapunzel, Eugene, Kairi, Aniyaku and the green frog asked.

"That's what the boss told me," said Lin, "and before you ask, Yubaba has her reasons."

"Best not to argue with the boss," said the green frog. He then looked at Kairi, Eugene and Rapunzel, "welcome, dear customers!"

"I'll show you in," said Lin, "the boss asked me to keep an eye on Kairi, while you two," she looked at Rapunzel and Eugene, "you get the big tub all to yourselves."

"You have coed tubs?" Kairi asked.

"For newlyweds," said Lin, "I made sure that the big tub was thoroughly cleaned this morning. We usually use it for our larger, more dirtier guests, but this is a special occasion. We've set up an extra layer of privacy screens, scented candles and flower pedals and live music, while a light romantic dinner has been prepared. As for Kairi, you get a wash, soak and dinner with Yubaba afterwards."

"Don't be ridiculous!" said Aniyuka, "the boss never dines with the customers!"

"She's willing to make a lot of exceptions tonight," said Lin in an annoyed tone, "you want to call her up and argue with her?" she then handed the phone to the frog spirit, "be my guest."

"Uh…no, I trust Yubaba," said a nervous Aniyuka. He then bowed and smiled at Rapunzel, Eugene and Kairi, "enjoy the bathhouse."

"Much obliged," said Eugene. He, Kairi, Rapunzel and Lin walked into the building, while the green frog stayed outside to welcome further guests.

A short while later, found the three humans shown to a special changing room for non-spirit guests. The room had several lockers for storing clothing, while a partition separated the room in half, one side for boys, girls on the other. The three of them found towels and bathrobes in the lockers, changed clothes and proceeded out into the main bathing area. Already there were dozens of different types of spirits, all being scrubbed down by the attending girls, soaking in the tubs full of herbs and salts and were all enjoying themselves.

A pair of attending girls beckoned the two newlyweds to an area separated by a large privacy curtain, while Lin showed Kairi to a tub of her own. Another attendant girl scrubbed Kairi down, rinsed her off and left Kairi to herself to soak in the warm water infused with herbs and salts.

As she leaned back in the tub, her whole body from the neck down submerged, Kairi felt more relaxed than she did in a long time. The warmth and aroma of the water eased more than physical tension from her body. The horrors she had been experiencing recently began to fade in intensity in her mind and for a moment, Kairi felt as if the tentacle creature with Sora's face and her friends turned into zombies and other horrific creatures were nothing more than a nightmare.

Kairi raised her right arm out of the tub and looked at the spot where she was stung by a Tracker Jacker. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she was at Hogwarts with Sora and the others. Everything seemed fine until a threat was made against the lives of the Keyblade Wielders, an incident that spiraled out of control, resulting in Kairi at the mercy of Regina whom proceeded to torture her with genetically engendered wasps.

"Was it all really a nightmare?" Kairi asked aloud as she looked at her forearm, free of the wasp sting that had swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. "Was everything that happened since a hallucination? If that's true, then Sora and the others are fine, but worried sick about me."

Kairi sighed, then held her breath and dunked her head under the water. She emerged a few seconds later fully wet. "But if it was a nightmare, then how did I get here? Was anything that happened to me real?'

Just then Yubaba peeked into the room, "pardon my intrusion, young lady," said the entrepreneur witch asked, "but I just had to come down and meet you face to face."

"You meet with all your customers when they're in such an intimate situation?" Kairi asked, feeling too relaxed to care that she was fully naked underwater.

"You're a special case, young Keyblade Wielder," said Yubaba as she summoned a chair and sat down, "these are strange and wondrous times we're in. Now, let's have a look a you," she then leaned close, "hmmm…yes, you have been through a dark trial recently."

"My nightmares," said Kairi, "assuming they were nightmares. If they weren't, then…"

"Allow me to put you at ease, young Keyblade Wielder," said Yubaba, "you've been cursed."

"Cursed?" Kairi asked, "I…I don't feel cursed."

"That's because the curse is afflicting your mind," said Yubaba, "and before you ask, I can spot a curse at fifty paces. And again, before you ask, I don't know how you got that way or who did it, but I'm sure you can guess."

"Maleficent," said Kairi irately, "she did this to me!" She then got out of the tub, toweled off and put on her bathrobe, not caring that Yubaba saw everything. "She made me afraid of Sora and the others! She made me try to hurt them and made me run away! I'll smash her into slime!"

"Before you go running after Maleficent," said Yubaba, "you've got to get that curse off of you. Otherwise you won't be able to think straight."

"I…I guess you're right," said Kairi as she began to calm down, "so, how do I get rid of the curse?"

"That I'm not sure," said Yubaba, "I'll have to figure out the exact composition of the curse before I try to remove it, but that can wait until you're fully refreshed. Now," she then summoned a red and blue kimono that matched Kairi's hair and eyes, as well as a pair of sandals, "I expect that you're famished."

"I could eat an entire dead rhino," said Kairi as she put on the kimono, "but I don't understand. I heard that you're not usually this nice to people."

"I can be nice if I want to," said Yubaba, "and like I said, these are strange, wondrous times we're in."

"I guess that makes sense too," said Kairi in a confused tone, "I don't know…my head is so messed up it's a miracle I can even get out of bed."

"In time you'll be sorted out," said Yubaba, "and don't worry about your new friends," she then glanced towards the area of the big tub, "I'm sure they're enjoying themselves most thoroughly."

Indeed, Rapunzel and Eugene were enjoying themselves. Eugene was standing up in the tub, the water up to his mid chest as he walked about with his arms outstretched and a blindfold over his eyes.

"Marco!" he shouted.

Rapunzel, whom had been underwater, stuck her head up in the air to get a quick breath, smiling mischievously as she went back down.

Eugene took a step to the left, "Marco!"

Rapunzel then stuck her head up to his right, "Polo!" she shouted, before ducking underwater again.

"Marco!" Eugene shouted as he turned to the right, only for Rapunzel to have swum behind and pounced on him, nearly causing Eugene to fall face first into the water. He kept his balance, ripped the blindfold off, spun around and the two of them embraced, laughing as they both fell over into the water.

* * *

**…Outside…**

"Get back here, you stupid demon!" Howleen shouted as she and the others ran after the dark creature.

"Am I the only one who things we need to put a leash on her?" Toralei asked.

"I'm going to ignore that!" Frankie shouted back at the tiger-stripped werecat.

"But she's right, Howleen is being a little too aggressive," said Riku.

"What did you expect?" Tara asked, "she's a werewolf whose on the scent."

"You learned that in Defense Against the Dark Arts class?" Aiden asked.

"I learned it from Victoire," said Tara, "I wasn't always Head Girl, you know."

"Victoire never told us she was Head Girl," said Tess.

"You never asked her," said Tara, "anyway, when your friend and upperclasspersons is dating a half-werewolf, you learn all sorts of things."

"What kind of things?" Sora asked in an unsure tone.

"Let's just say that some of the things Victoire and Teddy do when their alone," said a mildly blushing Tara, "gives a whole new meaning to the word 'Animality.'"

"I don't want to hear that!" said Malcolm irately, "in fact, why are wasting our time chasing after this small fry? It's obvious that we're being lead into a trap."

"How can you tell?" Felicia asked.

"Why else would that demon be leading us on a wild goose chase over hill and dale?" Malcolm asked.

"He's right!" said Andy, "this stinks of a trap!"

"I agree," said Hezekiah, "but as Warren used to tell me, 'the first step to avoiding a trap is knowing of its existence.'"

"Warren never said that," said Jana.

"How do you know?" Hezekiah asked.

"Never mind that!" shouted Julia, "we're being lead into a minefield!" Without waiting for a response, Julia's pistols sprung out from her sleeves into her hands and she fired several shots head, missing Howleen by inches and setting off multiple explosions.

The sudden conflagration caused Howleen and the demon to stop running, while Sora and the others skidded to a halt, all of them stopping at the edge of the minefield.

"Impossible!" exclaimed the demon in a high, squeaky voice. Now that our heroes weren't chasing it, they saw it in more detail. The creature was only four feet tall with pale gray skin, limbs that ended with three claws with a rat-like head and mandibles for a mouth. It seemed bizarre that such an unlikely demon was capable of outrunning a werewolf, but it did.

"There's no way you brats could have seed the minefield!" the demon squeaked.

"You don't know about my nickname," said a grinning Julia, "'Hawkeye.'"

"So, little demon," said Toralei boldly, "you thought you could lead us into a minefield."

"And you would have fallen for it!" squealed the demon, "it was my own plan! All the others, they rely on their muscles, claws, teeth and other powers. Me, I've got brains!" he then tapped his head, "I'm smarter than my comrades!"

"Not smart enough to fool Hawkeye here," said a smiling Tess.

"Now, what to do with you?" Tara asked.

"I say we shove himself feet first into a pastrami slicer," said Steven.

"Roast him over an open fire," said Jana.

"Tie him down next to a nest of fire ants and paint him with honey," said Aiden.

"Or, you could just stand there and let yourselves be destroyed," said the little demon.

"Fat chance," said Riku.

"We're trying to figure out how to make you tell us everything you know about the demons and Heartless harassing Yubaba's bathhouse," said Sora.

"It doesn't matter why we're here and what we're doing," said the little demon, "you'll all be too dead to care!"

Just then a huge boulder appeared above Sora and fell towards him. Sora rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed.

"What was that all about?" Sora asked as he picked himself off of the ground.

"You call that using your brain?" Riku asked the small demon.

"Yes," said the small demon confidently.

Just then more and more boulders fell onto our heroes and allies, forcing them to dodge the crushing rocks.

"Enough of this crap!" Felicia shouted after dodging a boulder. She then threw a knife at the small demon, the blade slicing off its left hand. Almost immediately, the boulders stopped falling,

"You bitch!" snapped the small demon as he clutched at his stump of an arm, "you took my pleasing hand!"

"Oh go eat a boat," said Felicia as she retrieved her knife.

"You think I'm defeated!?" exclaimed the small demon, "you think you can deny my chance at glory!? To deny me my chance to be recognized by The Three High Priests?!"

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked, "what Three High Priests?"

Just then _Wani _Mutant appeared, "the puny one referss to my massterss," said the crocodile creature.

"What the hell are you!?" exclaimed a startled Toralei, while everyone else looked surprised.

"Are you a demon?" Frankie asked, "or some kind of Monster?"

"I am a Mutant!" hissed the crocodile creature, "created, forged into perfection by The Three High Priesstss of Gorgom!"

"Who are they?" Tess asked.

"The oness whom ordered your executionsss!" hissed Wani Mutant. Just then several more powerful demons and scores of Neo Shadows appeared, "Desstroy them!"

"I hate this part!" Frankie shouted as she avoided a claw strike from a crab demon, then dodged two Neo Shadows. She struck back with a bolt of electricity, then kicked a demon in the head.

"You think you're having a bad time?" Andy asked as he punched a demon in the face, then grabbed a Neo Shadow and tore it in half, "I'm the one trying to keep my emotions under control!"

"How are you holding up?" Frankie asked as she and Andy stood back to back, fending off the dark creatures that were so eager to render them asunder.

"I sense nothing from The Heartless," said Andy as he kicked a Neo Shadow into the stratosphere, "just emptiness! But the demons, they're so full of hate and rage, it's a miracle they can stand up!"

"They're not that tough!" shouted Sora as he, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm and Roxas hacked, slashed and bashed their way through the hordes of dark creatures.

"But there are a lot of them!" shouted Felicia as she stabbed and sliced at the demons and Heartless, while Steven fought with his staff, Mark with his sword, Hezekiah with his spear and Jana with her long knife. Julia had flipped her pistols around, gripping them by the barrel, while metal studs appeared at the bottom of the grips. She then used them to bash the dark creatures in the head.

"If we're not careful, they'll overwhelm us!" shouted Howleen as she and Toralei found themselves back to back, slashing at the dark creatures with their sharp claws.

"Want to go home?" Toralei asked.

"Not until I destroy more than you!" Howleen shouted.

"Fat chance, kiddo!" Toralei said as she kicked a demon in the groin.

Sora then saw Chihiro kicking and punching the dark creatures. She was holding her own rather well, but was unaware of two Neo Shadows sneaking up behind her.

"Look out!" Sora shouted as he threw his Keyblade at one of the Neo Shadows, destroying it and getting Chihiro's attention. She then turned around and kicked the other one in the head.

"Thanks!" Chihiro shouted as she ran over to Sora.

"Any time!" said Sora.

But then _Wani _Mutant jumped in and slashed Chihiro's left shoulder. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Sora tried to run to her but the crocodile creature lashed at Sora with its tail, knocking Sora onto his back.

Riku, Aiden and Tess tried to attack _Wani _Mutant, but the crocodile creature grabbed Riku and threw him onto Aiden, then backhanded Tess in the face with enough force to fracture her jaw.

"HEY!" Frankie shouted. She then sent a bolt of electricity at _Wani _Mutant, but the creature's scaly hide was only mildly burned.

"Pathetic freak!" shouted _Wani _Mutant as it leapt at Frankie. She tried to get out of the way but the crocodile creature bit into her right arm. It used its own weight to pull Frankie to the ground and performed a death roll that that tore off Frankie's arm, while popping several stitches elsewhere. Within seconds, Frankie had been broken into pieces.

"NO!" shouted an enraged Andy. He ran at _Wani _Mutant as his body began to change. He grew another foot in height and became much more muscular, his shirt and vest ripped apart from the increased muscle mass, while dark purple fur erupted all over his body. His fingers grew razor-sharp claws, his teeth elongated into yellow fangs and his antlers grew larger, while his face and eyes became more feral.

The transformed Andy roared with rage and tackled _Wani _Mutant to the ground and began pounding into the creature.

Sora got back up and cast Heal on Tess, while Aiden and Riku got back up. The four of them ran over to Frankie, "you okay?" Sora asked franticly.

"Do I look okay?!" Frankie asked irately. Her head was still attached to her torso, but her arms and legs were scattered around the ground, with her right arm crushed where the crocodile creature bit her.

"What do we do?" Naminé asked as she, Roxas and Malcolm ran over, the fighting with the lesser demons and Neo Shadows dieing down to the point where Toralei, Howleen, Jana, Hezekiah, Felicia, Julia, Steven and Mark were almost done vanquishing the foul creatures.

"How do we fix you?" Naminé asked.

"Just make sure all of me is still here," said Frankie, while her left hand got up on two fingers and walked over to her. "You can stitch me back together and I'll be good as new."

"No problem," said Malcolm as he summoned three needles and three large spools of thread.

"What about your arm?" Sora asked as he carefully picked up Frankie's mangled left arm. Frankie saw the damage and winced.

"Oh, that's not good," Frankie said, "it didn't hurt that much."

"You must really have a high tolerance for pain," said Riku.

"Never mind me!" said Frankie as Sora and Aiden began putting Frankie's body parts in their correct positions, while Roxas, Naminé and Tess began sewing her back together, "what about Andy!?"

"He seems to be enjoying himself," said Chihiro as she limped over. Aside from her still bleeding shoulder, she had apparently fractured her ankle.

"Oh no!" said Frankie as she turned her head to see the still transformed Andy beating _Wani _Mutant, "guys! You've got to put me back together right now!"

"Keep your shirt on," said Tess as she finished sewing Frankie's left hand to her forearm, "we're working on it."

"No, you don't understand!" said Frankie in an urgent tone, "I'm pretty much the only one who can calm Andy down when he's like this."

"At least he's not as big as a battleship," said Toralei as she, Howleen, Julia and the others, came over, having finished off the last of the demons and Heartless.

"He must still be in some control of himself," said Howleen.

"But I get what Frankie's getting at," said Felicia as she looked at the transformed Andy, "even though he's still relatively short, I wouldn't want to fight him, not without backup that is."

"I'd rather sit that fight out, if you don't mind," said Steven.

Just then _Wani _Mutant threw Andy off, launching the transformed Monster thirty feet into the air. The crocodile creature got back up and lashed up with its tail, hitting Andy in the torso just before he hit the ground and sending him crashing into a boulder with enough force to crack the rock in half.

"Andy!" Frankie shouted just as Roxas and Naminé finished reattaching her legs. She tried to stand up but she lost her footing and stumbled back down.

"Pathetic," hissed _Wani _Mutant as it glared at our heroes and allies, its scaly hide scrapped and bruised here and there but otherwise was unharmed.

"Uh, people?" a concerned Jana asked, "I think we have a problem here."

"You ain't kidding," said an unnerved Toralei.

"That thing just got the crap beaten out of it, but it's still standing!" exclaimed Aiden as he helped Tess finish Frankie's left arm.

"Impudent humanss!" hissed _Wani _Mutant, "you cannot defeat me! I am invincible!"

Just then, from out of nowhere, both Yusuke and Kuwabara jumped in and kicked Wani Mutant in the head with enough force to send it hurtling across the field and crashing into another boulder.

"Invincible, my ass," said Yusuke.

"Did you see how far that thing flew?" an eager Kuwabara asked, "that's got to be a new record!"

"Remind me to call those world record book people," said Yusuke. He then saw Sora and everyone else, "hey, how's it going?"

"Uh…we're okay," said a confused Sora, while everyone else also looked equally confounded, "ah…how are you?"

"Eh…slight headache," said Yusuke as he rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, "but other than that, I'm doing alright, thanks."

Just then _Wani _Mutant got back up, a bit more roughed up but still ready to fight. It then glared hatefully at Yusuke and Kuwabara, "you! How dare you!"

"We dare because we can!" said Kuwabara.

"I'm going to enjoy evisscerating you pathetic humanss!" hissed _Wani _Mutant.

"Oh please," said Kuwabara in a nonchalant tone, "we've faced stronger demons than you, but none as ugly."

"That's not a demon!" Frankie asked as Aiden and Tess helped her stand up. Aside from her right arm, she was all back together.

"It's some kind of mutated crocodile," said Howleen, "Ghoulia would love to dissect it to see how it works."

"A mutant, huh?" Yusuke asked as he glared at the crocodile creature, "never fought one of those things before, but after The Saint Beasts and The Togoro Brothers, one fudged up alligator shouldn't be too much trouble."

"I am a crocodile, you ignorant ignoramuss!" snapped _Wani _Mutant, "for that I sshall sskin you alive and ssplit your boness and ssuck out your marrow!"

"Now that's just sick," said Yusuke.

"Then I sshall do the ssame thing to your mother," said _Wani _Mutant.

At that Yusuke glared hatefully at _Wani _Mutant, "listen, pal! I'm in a very bad mood right now. I didn't want to take this case, but I'm here, so I might as well kick your ass back to the hellhole you crawled out of!"

"Hold on a second, Urameshi!" said Kuwabara, "I've got this."

"Who said you could fight the walking purse, Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked, "besides, I kicked it first."

"No way, man!" exclaimed Kuwabara, "I kicked it first, therefore I get to fight it!"

"Actually," said Julia, "you both kicked at the same time," she then indicated her eyes, "like a hawk, I am."

"You should see her practice catching flies with her bare hands," said Mark.

"_I_ catch flies with my bare hands!" said an annoyed Felicia, "she spots them for me."

"My mistake," said Mark.

At that time, Yusuke and Kuwabara were engaged in a match of 'Rock Paper Scissors,' which Kuwabara won by using Scissors to cut Yusuke's Paper.

"Alright!" said Kuwabara, "let's get this party started!" he then held out his right hand, "Spirit Sword!"

With a flash of light, an energy sword appeared in Kuwabara's hand. He swung it experimentally and then faced _Wani _Mutant.

"Wow!" said an impressed Sora, "cool!" while everyone else looked equally amazed.

"Eh, I'm used to it," said Yusuke in an offhanded tone.

"Sso," hissed _Wani _Mutant to Kuwabara, "you can manipulate your own sspiritual energy. But it matterss not! You sshall sstill die!" It then rushed at Kuwabara. He barely avoided the crocodile creature's slashing claws, only to be hit in the midsection by the creature's tail.

"Cheep shot!" said Kuwabara as he stumbled back and felt his chest, "but it's just a love tap!"

"You'll hate thiss!" hissed Wani Mutant as it rushed at Kuwabara again. Kuwabara used his Spirit Sword to block the creature's claws but was again hit by the tail, this time scoring a cut across his lower jaw.

"Another cheep shot!" said Kuwabara as he felt his lower jaw and saw the blood.

"I don't think that thing plays fair!" said Toralei.

"Gee, what gave you that idea?" Yusuke asked. "Hey! Kuwabara! Need a hand?"

"Shut up, Uramesi!" Kuwabara shouted as he dodged another claw strike, only to be hit in the chest again by the tail, "I've got this!"

"Yeah, and I'm a sure in for a Harvard scholarship," said Yusuke.

"Perhapss the other foolissh human would provide more of a challenge," hissed Wani Mutant after lashing at Kuwabara with its tail. "He might take this sserioussly."

"You want me to get serious!?" Kuwabara shouted, "okay!" He then surprised everyone, especially _Wani _Mutant, by dodging the next tail strike, then countering by getting right behind _Wani _Mutant and cutting the tail right off. The severed tail dropped to the ground and twitched for a few seconds before bursting into blue flames that consumed it into ashes in seconds.

"NO!" shouted _Wani _Mutant as it stumbled about, the loss of its tail depriving it of most of its balance, "you basstard human! I'll kill you for thiss!"

"If you can walk up to me, that is," said Kuwabara in a smug tone.

"Incredible!" said Aiden, "that sword sliced right through its hide like a knife through butter."

"We couldn't even dent it," said Riku.

"That's spirit energy for you!" said a grinning Kuwabara as he flashed our heroes the peace sign.

"Uh, I hate to ruin your good mood," said Howleen, "but that thing is still alive."

"And pissed," said Jana.

"Die, human filth!" shouted Wani Mutant. It then spat a ball of dark purple fire at Kuwabara, hitting him on the seat of his pants and setting them on fire.

Kuwabara yelled in fright and pain as he ran back and forth, his brining pants leaving a small trail of smoke in his state of panic.

"Shouldn't we try and help him?" Frankie asked.

"In a minute!" said Toralei in a giggling tone, unable to control her humor, "this is the best thing that's happened since we got here!"

"It is kinda funny, Frankie!" said Tess as she, Naminé, Felicia, Julia and Howleen barely controlled their laughter, while Yusuke was laughing without restraint.

"Hey, Kuwabara!' Yusuke showed between laughs, "stop, drop and roll!"

"Deep Freeze!" Sora shouted as he aimed his Keyblade at Kuwabara. A blast of freezing energy hit Kuwabara, extinguishing the fire. Kuwabara stopped running, panting with relief.

"Wow, thanks, kido," said Kuwabara, "you're a life saver!"

"Any time," said Sora, whom was unable to control his own laughter, while everyone else was laughing too.

"What?" a confused Kuwabara asked, "what's so funny?"

"I never knew you were the kind to go commando, Kuwabara!" Yusuke laughed.

Kuwabara then realized that the fire had burned right through his pants and underwear, leaving his bare behind on display for everyone. Blushing with deep embarrassments, he clasped his hands behind, covering his exposed rear.

"Enough of thiss foolisshnesss!" hissed an irate _Wani _Mutant, "thiss endss now!" it then spat several more fireballs at our heroes, but Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm and Roxas blocked them with their Keyblades.

"Cool swords," said Yusuke, "but that walking purse is right about one thint; this ends now!" he then walked towards _Wani _Mutant.

"You sstupid human!" spat _Wani _Mutant, "you cannot defeat me! Dimwit!"

At that Yusuke looked mad enough to punch a hole in a wall, "don't call me dimwit!" he then rushed at _Wani _Mutant and delivered a devastating punch that broke at least three ribs in the creature's midsection.

"Wow! He's strong," said an amazed Howleen.

"And fast," said Toralei as she and the others saw Yusuke dodge _Wani _Mutant's claws. Yusuke responded by delivering an uppercut that shattered _Wani _Mutant's jaws.

"I'd like to see you breathe fire now," said Yusuke.

Somehow, _Wani _Mutant was still able to talk. "You think you've defeated me?" it hissed, "I am but one Mutant! There are plenty more where I came from! Ssoon, very ssoon, there will be other Mutantss! You may have won the battle, but the war sshall be won by Gorgom!"

"Oh, go…do whatever crocodiles do!" Yusuke said as he aimed his right hand at _Wani _Mutant in the manner of aiming a gun. A bright blue light that resonated with a high pitched sound lit up his index finger as his left hand held his right in a bracing manner, "Spirit Gun!"

With a loud report, a bolt of blue energy shot from his finger, hitting _Wani _Mutant in the torso and knocking it off it's feet and onto the ground. It then tried to get back up, but then the creature erupted in blue flames that burned it to ashes within seconds.

"That's that," said Yusuke, "I can't think of a good pun right now, but it'd be a really funny one."

"Just what kind of Normie are you?" Toralei asked.

"Uh…what's a Normie?" Yusuke asked, "if you mean 'human,' then you could say that I'm a pretty unusual one."

"There's the understatement of the season," said Frankie. She then blinked in surprise and worry, "oh my ghoul! Andy!"

She was about to run over to him, but Andy then got back up, still in his feral state. The transformed Monster was crouched in a defensive yet threatening posture, his head and eyes darting back and forth, searching for an opponent.

"Call me stupid, but I think that guy still wants to fight," said Steven.

"Okay, you're stupid," said Toralei in a matter of fact tone.

"Keep it up, fur ball!" snapped Steven, "just keep pushing everyone's buttons."

"What can I say?" Toralei asked, "I'm a natural button pusher."

"That still doesn't solve our current problem," said Felicia. By now Andy had seen our heroes and allies and was slowly but surely advancing on them, growling menacingly.

"I think he doesn't like us right now," said a nervous Chihiro.

"Then let's stop him before he hurts someone," said Tara as she aimed her wand at Andy, _"Stupify!"_

The stunning spell shot at Andy and hit right on target, but the transformed monster shrugged it off and focused its feral eyes on Tara.

"Oh great, Tara!" said Aiden, "now you've really made him mad!"

"I didn't mean to," said Tara in a subdued tone.

"If someone could get behind him, we could knock him out," said Julia.

"Thanks for volunteering," said Toralei.

"Still pushing!" Steven shouted at her.

"Maybe we could all try a pincer move," said Riku.

"No! Don't provoke him!" Frankie shouted, "don't do anything that'll make him more upset!"

"He's an empath," said Felicia, "everyone, think calm thoughts! Empty your minds and hearts of anger and other negative feelings! Think only happy thoughts!"

"Just give him room to calm down," said Frankie as she carefully walked towards Andy.

"Are you crazy?!" Aiden exclaimed, "he'll rip you apart!"

"And we just finished sewing you back together," said Tess, while Naminé nodded in agreement.

"No, he won't hurt me," said Frankie in a confident tone. She continued to get closer to Andy, whom seemed to calm down a bit.

"He knows her," said Malcolm, "even in his transformed state, he still recognizes her."

"Everyone! Think happy thoughts!" Sora shouted. He then focused on every happy moment he had with Kairi; meeting her for the first time when they were little; all the times they played on the beach, restoring her heart, reuniting with her at Destiny Island, their first kiss and so on.

Everyone else was focusing on their happiest memories, all the while Frankie got closer and closer to Andy as he calmed down. By the time Frankie reached Andy, he had begun to revert to his normal form. He shrunk to his usual height, while his fingernails, teeth and horns retracted, as did his fur and his eyes returned to their more civilized color.

"Frankie?" Andy asked, "I…I didn't hurt you or the others when I lost control, did I?"

"No, we're fine," said Frankie. She then looked to her empty right shoulder, "well, I'm mostly alright."

"I honestly don't know how to fix it," said Aiden as he picked up Frankie's mangled right arm, "I could try Alchemy, I mean, all the pieces are here, but the arm's still alive. Transmutation on anything alive is forbidden."

"We'll worry about that later," said Chihiro, "we'd better get back to Yubaba and tell her what happened."

"And plan what to do next," said Tess.

"We now know who's behind the demons and Heartless," said Riku.

"Gorgom," said Sora, "who or what are they?"

"I don't know," said Yusuke, "but it looks like we'll have a better chance of smashing their sorry heads if we work together."

"Sounds good to me," said Sora. With that he and Yusuke shook hands and they all started back towards the bathhouse.

"Hey! Guys!" Kuwabara shouted as he still held his hands over his exposed behind, "what about me!?"

"I'm sure Yuababa can lend you a change of clothing if you ask her nicely," said Chihiro in a giggling manner, while nearly everyone else was struggling to contain their laughter.

"In the meantime," said Yusuke as he tried his best not to laugh, "you can bring up…the rear!" with that he burst out into a hearty laughter, while everyone else laughed heartily too.

"Oh shut up!" snapped Kuwabara, "you wouldn't be laughing if you had the seat of your pants burned off!" He then started laughing himself, "but it is kinda funny!"

They all laughed as they made their way back to the bathhouse, unaware that they were being watched.

* * *

**…The Enemy Lair…**

"Remind me to ask you later where you got that digital camera for _Koumori_ Mutant," said Brother Courtney as he, The Lord of Illusions, the woman in black, Shadowcast and The Three High Priests, watched Sora and the others in a large view screen set into the rock wall, "you can really appreciate the High Definition on it. And the clarity of the data transmission, simply astounding."

"Yes, it was an impressive sight," said the woman in black, "watching that crocodile creature destroyed by those children."

"It's inconceivable!" exclaimed Baraom, "how! How could mere humans possess such power!?"

"Not since Black Sun had we seen a human destroy a Mutant," said Darom, "yet those two…who are they and where did they acquire such skills?"

"And were they born under solar eclipses?" Bishium asked.

"What are you implying?" Darom asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Bishium asked as she smiled wickedly, "those two boys, assuming they match the criteria we seek, may be our new Century Kings."

At that Baraom made the view screen rewind and then focus on Yusuke and Kuwabara, "yes…yes, they do have admirable qualities."

"If they do pass muster, then yes," said Darom, "they will be selected to be Century Kings."

"Well, if I had to pick," said The Lord of Illusions. He then pointed at Kuwabara, "the tall one, he's a dunce, but his physical prowess would make him an ideal candidate to lead Gorgom."

"Yet the shorter one is the more charismatic of the two," said the woman in black, "a natural leader, albeit also a bit slow in the head. Then again, no one is perfect, except for me that is." She then laughed, "sorry, just teasing."

"I'd be most appreciative if you wouldn't do that," said Bishium in a disapproving tone, "it's rather…"

"Uncouth," said Shadowcast.

"Exactly," said Bishium.

"Regardless," said Brother Courtney, "our minor intercession has escalated into a moderate problem."

"Those meddling brats will ruin everything if we don't destroy them now!" snapped The Lord of Illusions irately, "I'm not taking any chances! I'm going to create a scenario that will destroy them inside out!"

"In the meantime," said Brother Courtney to The Three High Priests, "I suggest that the plan to invade Yubaba's bathhouse move forward, post haste."

"Indeed," said Darom. He then looked at two lab coat wearing demons, "prepare another Mutant for maturation!"

"And assemble another host of demons and Heartless!" said Bishium.

"If those brats believe they can prevent the restoration of Gorgom, they're mistaken!" said Baraom.

* * *

**…Someplace Else…**

Alegra found herself on the balcony of an elaborately built, brightly colored castle on a mountainside overlooking a world of great beauty. The castle was in fact an entire city, with the main palace at the highest point and the commercial and residential areas below. It was well after dark and an enormous moon hung in a star-speckled sky.

"Canterlot," said Alegra, "just as wondrous and beautiful as I left it, if not greater."

Just then a pair of white Pegasus' wearing golden armor burst out onto the balcony and approached Alegra in a threatening manner.

"Ah…well," said Alegra in a modest tone, "I suppose I should have knocked."

But then something very fast swooped over Alegra and landed on the balcony, revealing herself to be a tall and slender Alicorn with a dark indigo coat and a translucent teal mane and tail that shimmered and flowed like liquid starlight. She had a pair of feathered wings, a spiral horn and had a dark purple crown atop her head, while her chest was adorned with a crescent moon necklace, while an identical mark adorned her flanks.

"Stand down, loyal guards," said the Alicorn in a regal, assertive tone, "we have the situation under control."

The two Pegasus guards bowed and flew off of the balcony.

"I admit that I should have announced my return to Equestria," said Alegra, "how fare you, Princess Luna?"

"Far better than we had been for a thousand years, Alegra Wells," said the Alicorn, Princess Luna.

"Oh, you don't have to use such mannerisms with me," said Alegra as she smiled warmly, "we're old friends. And has it really been a thousand years since our last encounter?"

"At least a thousand years from our point of view, old friend," said Princess Luna, "you left shortly before we had our argument with our beloved sister."

"And how is your sister?" Alegra asked, "the most Royal Highness, Princess Celestia? Has she found the disciple she had been searching for?"

"Indeed," said Princess Luna, "and our sister is well, quite well in fact. You managed to return after quite a few years of excitement; our redemption and reconciliation with our sister, the return and eventual redemption of Discord; an invasion of Changelings; the wedding of our beloved niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza; the revival of The Crystal Empire and the endowment of royalty on our sister's apprentice, Twilight Sparkle, now Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Well, I have missed a lot," said an impressed Alegra, "and I'd love to sit with you and Celestia for hours on end catching up," she then looked at her watch, "but I'm short on time, and for a time traveler, that's serious."

"Indeed," said Princess Luna, "you did not return for a casual visit; you seek our assistance, are we correct?"

"Yes, I do need your help, old friend," said Alegra, "and please, stop using this 'we' and 'our' stuff. I knew you and your sister when you were just foals, struggling to master your powers and rise to your respective destinies. By the way, beautiful moon tonight."

"Yes, the moon is beautiful," said Luna as she looked up at the large satellite in orbit around the world, "up close, it is rather dull, dreary and depressing," she looked at Alegra, "you are aware, of my foolishness? Of my folly? How my pride, anger and jealousy nearly ripped the world apart? How, for my hubris, I was banished to the moon for a thousand years?"

"Yes, I know," said Alegra, "I'm sorry about what happened to you. I can only imagine the pain and loneness you suffered through."

"And did that pain and loneness rehabilitate me?!" Princess Luna shouted, "no! I became more bitter, more cruel, more…evil! Before, when I first rebelled against my sister, I only used the name Nightmare Moon as an alias, a means to frighten those who would stand in my way. But when I returned after a thousand years banishment, I was Nightmare Moon!"

She then glared wrathfully at Alegra, "and where were you during my banishment!? You are not of this world, not of Equestria, therefore not bound to the laws set down by my sister! You could have come to me! You could have scolded me for my transgressions! You could have yelled at me! Even just a disapproving look! Anything!"

"How could my coming to see you, just to make you feel bad," said Alegra, "how could that have helped you?"

"At least you would have been there with me!" said Luna, "if only for a moment. A single moment in the presence of another would have been enough to make the solitude, the isolation, more bearable. If I had but one moment of company, I would not have returned as such a dark creature."

"But you didn't stay that way forever," said Alegra, "otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"True, true," said Luna in a calmer tone, "it was Twilight Sparkle and her friends. They overcame every obstacle I set in their path. They harnessed the true power of The Elements of Harmony and freed my heart from the darkness that had consumed me for so long, and for that I am eternally grateful."

"Seems I owe them a favor too," said Alegra, "and I am sorry I didn't come. I did hear of your…predicament and I would have come, if only to reassure you that everything would be alright, that in the grand scheme of things, a thousand years is hardly any time, not when you're immortal that is."

"Yes, immortality does have its benefits," said Luna, "but why didn't you come?"

"I was on the trail of The Puppeteer," said Alegra, "and I'm happy to say that I finally arranged the destruction of that hateful creature." She then frowned, "but now I've picked up a new nemesis, one I still know very little about. She wants something desperately, something that only I can get, yet I know not what it is. She will tell me of it if she wins this current conflict, a challenge between the two of us," she then looked at Luna, "which brings me to why I need your help, old friend."

"You asked for my help before," said Luna, "the experience nearly destroyed the both of us. I won't refuse you outright, but I would like to know the reason you need me this time."

"An innocent girl is suffering under a curse of the mind," Alegra, "it took me a while, but I figured out that the curse originated from an artificial dream, forged by a dream demon and forced into her in a moment of vulnerability."

"Who controlled that dream demon?" Luna asked, "those creatures seldom use their powers outside their own dreams, not without persuasion from a master of the dark arts."

"I'm sure you've heard of Maleficent," said Alegra, "I can't prove it yet, but I'm positive she was the one to afflict young Kairi. She now sees those she loves as horrific creatures, while her one true love is now, to her addled eyes, a horrifying monstrosity out for her blood. If left unchecked, Kairi's cursed mind will force her to destroy her beloved Sora, then destroy herself."

"A cursed dream, you say?" Luna asked in a contemplative tone, "yes…yes, I do believe I can alleviate this girl of her suffering. When do I leave?"

"I'll inform you when the time is right for your intervention," said Alegra, "I still have a few more strings to pull, irons to put into the fire, in order to set things up and defeat my new nemesis. Oh, before I forget, I'd like the new princess to assist you."

"Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asked in a surprised tone, "she…she is a powerful and talented magic user, but she's still a child. She only recently evolved into an Alicorn. There is still much for her to learn, and I doubt my sister would appreciate it if her most prized pupil and friend were to be put in such danger, not to mention how worried Princess Cadence would be over her sister-in-law, and don't get me started on how upset her brother, Shining Armor, would be."

"Celestia wouldn't be too upset if her student faced a challenge that would give her a chance to expand her horizons," said Alegra, "and if necessary, I can explain things to Cadence and Shining Armor," she then smiled mischievously, "I could also tell them how many children they'd have and if they'd be Unicorns, Pegasus or Alicorns."

"Good heavens! Hold your tongue!" exclaimed Luna, "I'm still getting used to the idea of having in-laws. Now you're making me thing about being a great-aunt!"

"I'm sorry if that upsets you," said Alegra, "regardless, why don't we ask the new Princess what she wants? Twilight Sparkle may be young, but she is capable of making her own decisions, right?"

Luna looked like she wanted to say no, but she sighed with acceptance. Her horn then glowed and summoned a scroll of parchment, a quill and an ink bottle. The quill dipped into the ink and then wrote a short message. The scroll then rolled up, tied with a summoned ribbon and vanished.

"You'll have your answer in a moment," said Luna, "but be warned, old friend, Twilight Sparkle is a little…eager."

"I like eagerness," said Alegra, "fear not, I've encountered minds of all sorts in my travels. I can handle an overeager Alicorn.

With a flash of bright purple light, another Alicorn 'winked' onto the balcony. She was much shorter than Luna, with a lavender coat and feathered wings, violet eyes, a dark indigo mane and tail with pink and purple stripes, with her mane styled into bangs that were separated by her horn. Atop her head was a golden tiara with a purple star gem set into it, while on her flanks was a purple, six-pointed star with smaller white stars around it.

"I got your message, Luna," said the young Alicorn in a warm, friendly tone, "what's up?" she then saw Alegra. Her eyes then widened in surprise and amazement, "oh my gosh!"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," said Luna in an official tone, "permit us the honor of introducing to thee, Ms. Alegra Wells."

"The honor is mine, Princess Twilight Sparkle," said Alegra as she bowed in respect.

"Are…are you a human?" Twilight Sparkle asked in an astonished tone.

"Mmm…more or less," said Alegra, "I'm a rather…unique human, one of a handful whom have been blessed, or cursed, with immortality, depending on how you look at it."

"But you _are _human!" said a happily smiling Twilight Sparkle. She then began to rapidly move around Alegra, examining her from all angles, "two legs, five digits, opposable thumbs, and your clothes!" she got right next to Alegra, looking at her jacket, shirt and skirt, "my friend Rarity would do anything to make clothes like these."

"Why thank you," said Alegra in a slightly uncomfortable tone, "I always visit the best tailors."

"I told you she was eager," said Luna. "Twilight, Alegra is a very old friend of both myself and my sister. She has assisted me in the past, while Celestia and I have assisted her as well, all in the name of the eternal struggle against evil."

"You must have seen so much," said Twilight Sparkle, "I…I have so many questions, I don't know where to begin."

"And I'd love to answer them all," said Alegra, "but there simply isn't time. I need Luna's help, while you will be of great assistance as well."

"You want me to help you?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "how?"

"I will inform you as to the nature of this mission," said Luna, "there is much to do and much for you to learn, and I shall teach you. You've learned much from my sister, but this time, you shall be my student."

"I won't disappoint you, Princess Luna," said Twilight Sparkle as she bowed. She then looked at Alegra, "it's been wonderful meeting you, Ms. Wells."

"Please, call me Alegra," said the immortal time traveler. She then looked at Luna, "I'll drop you a line when I'm ready for the two of you."

"Must you leave so soon?" Luna asked, "I'm sure Celestia would enjoy your company, if only for a few minutes."

"Nothing would make me happier than to see your sister," said Alegra, "but time is short and I have a long way to go before I can sit down for a pleasant conversation." She then looked at the younger Alicorn, "You're about to take a step into a world more larger and wondrous than you can ever dream of, Twilight Sparkle. May it be the first of many steps. Farewell." With that she vanished.

"Wow, she's amazing," said Twilight Sparkle. She then looked at Luna, "are all humans like that?"

"Alegra's always been unique," said Luna, "as are all humans, but some are more unique than others, and if all goes well, you'll be meeting some of those extraordinary humans soon."

"I can hardly wait!" said Twilight Sparkle.

"In the meantime," said Luna, "I suggest that you return to Ponyville and inform your friends that they will be needed as well."

"My friends?" Twilight Sparkle asked. She then looked at Luna with determined confidence, "I'll go tell Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to get ready. Wait, does this mean…?"

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle," said Luna, "for this mission, The Elements of Harmony will be needed."

"We'll be ready," said Twilight Sparkle confidently.

**The end of chapter 3.**

_Next chapter finds our heroes uncovering a shocking secret within Yubaba's bathhouse, while Gorgom and their dark allies plan a foul counterattack. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	5. Chapter 4: Secrets and Surprises

_Last time found our heroes running into a trap set by Gorgom. It was a grueling battle as Sora and the others fought the vile Wani Mutant, which was wiping the floor with our heroes, that is, until Yusuke and Kuwabara ran in and turned the tide, destroying the crocodile creature. Meanwhile, Rapunzel, Eugene and Kairi reached Yubaba's bathhouse and partook of the baths of the establishment, with Kairi talking with Yubaba about her ordeal. Meanwhile, outraged over the destruction of Wani Mutant, Gorgom and their insidious allies began planning their next move. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 4: Secrets and Surprises**

"So, you died, and yet not died," said Sora to Yusuke as our heroes and allies walked through the restaurant district to the bathhouse, "and then you came back with new powers."

"Yeah, that's kinda what happened," said Yusuke, "I was on a one-way ticket to hell, the way I was acting."

"You should have seen how much of a jerk Urameshi was before he got hit by a car," said Kuwabara, "everyone thought he was a demon or something."

"Oh, like you weren't Mr. Nicest Guy of the Year," said Yusuke.

"Least I have my own code of honor," said Kuwabara stubbornly. "All you cared about was being the toughest, meanest street fighter around. You didn't care about school, you broke all the rules and you even molested Keiko!"

"And I always got punished for teasing her," said Yusuke, "and I never molested Keiko! Well, I copped a feel every now and then, but I stopped doing that long ago. And I'm not that much of a jerk anymore either. I go to school, when I'm not stomping demon guts."

"How many demon guts have you stomped?" Toralei asked.

"Not that many," said Yusuke, "this is only my fifth case as a Spirit Detective. Let's see," he then began counting on his fingers, "first there was that lummox Gouki, then Kurama turned out to be a nice guy, while Hiei's pretty decent, when he's in a good mood. Then I crushed Rando, then took out a bunch of people possessed by Makai bugs, so they don't really count. Then there was all those minions outside Maze Castle, they were easy, but Suzuka turned out to be a real son of a bitch, and the rest of the Saint Beasts weren't pushovers either. Then there were all those minor demons and not so minor demons we had to beat up on the way to rescuing Yukina, and then there was The Togoro Brothers, now they were real sons of bitches."

"Ah, they weren't so tough," said Kuwabara smugly, "just seeing Yukina smile made it all worth it."

"You must really like Yukina," said Frankie.

"Someone once told us that the signs of true love could be spotted if you know what to look for," said Naminé.

"Yeah, I'm amazed that Kuwabara has time for anything else," said Yusuke, "ever since we got back from the last case, it's been Yukina this and Yukina that, almost nonstop."

"Yeah, love's wonderful," said Kuwabara, "you'd feel the same way if just opened your eyes, Urameshi. Keiko's right there and if you'd just…"

"Keiko and I are just friends!" Yusuke snapped, "so just drop it, Kuwabara!"

"Are you sure you're just friends?" Tara asked, "I've seen enough relationships to know when someone is being stubborn about their feelings."

"I'm not stubborn!" said Yusuke stubbornly.

"Sure you're not," Howleen teased.

"Can we get back to the real problem here?" Riku asked, "not that I don't mind talking about relationships and making someone with repressed feelings face those feelings."

"I agree, we need to focus," said Andy, "just what is Gorgom?"

"And what do they want with Yubaba's bathhouse?" Sora asked.

"Demons, Heartless and Mutants," said Aiden, "just another day in the life of a Keyblade Wielder."

"What I don't get is how all of this will help us find Kairi," said Malcolm.

"How much are you all willing to be that we're just doing Alegra's dirty work?" Tess asked, "she just sent us here to fight Gorgom, and then when we're done, she'll toss Kairi to us. She probably has her stashed somewhere and has already fixed her mind."

"You don't believe that, do you?" Tara asked, "I mean, sure, I get that Alegra's a manipulative bitch, but is she really that cruel?"

"She was cruel enough to mess up my entire life," said Tess.

"But she had a reason to do so," said Riku, "I don't paticullary like that reason, but it made sense."

"It did make sense," said Tess, "and that pisses me off."

"Can we worry about Kairi later?" Felicia asked, "it's clear that Gorgom wants something, so the next thing to do is figure out what."

"And we'll start by questioning Yubaba again," said Julia, "when we talked with her before, I got the feeling that she was hiding something."

"I got the feeling too," said Malcolm, "I think she knows more about what's going on than she told us."

"Well, Yubaba is a very…experienced witch," said Chihiro, "she has her secrets, but if she really does know what Gorgom wants, then she has to tell us."

"Then let's go ask the old lady," said Yusuke as they reached the bathhouse. They crossed the bridge and entered the main area, where Lin was talking to a pair of frog spirits.

"Sen!" Lin shouted as she saw our heroes and allies. Lin ran over, "I heard there was trouble, are you alright?"

"A little shaken up," said Chihiro, "but I'm fine."

"Thank goodness," said Lin, "a lot of the guests have a bit of clairvoyance and they know that you guys fought the demons and Heartless."

"And one seriously koozed up Mutant," said Mark.

"He was a pushover," said Yusuke.

"A pushover?!" Frankie exclaimed, "he ruined my arm!"

"Any of the spirit guests know how to fix a Monster arm?" Sora asked, while Malcolm held the mangled appendage up.

"I doubt it," said Lin as she eyed the ruined arm cautiously, "and I seriously doubt the human guests want to even get involved."

"Human guests?" Chihiro asked.

"Newlyweds," said Lin. She then looked at Yusuke and Kuwabara, "they showed up just as you two ran out."

"We didn't see any other humans here till we met with Sora and his crew," said Yusuke.

"You sure about that?" Lin asked, "they were pretty hard to miss. He was tall and gorgeous, she wasn't so tall but equally pretty, and the other one with them was a looker too. But that's just my opinion."

"There was someone else with them?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, it caused quite a stir here," said Lin, "the man, Eugene, he made a big fuss about getting the girl into the bathhouse, even tried to bribe one of the workers. The woman, Rapunzel, she wanted to talk to me but I told her that their friend couldn't come inside without a ticket.

"But then Yubaba said it was okay. The girl came in and was given her own private tub to soak in. Right now she's having dinner with Yubaba."

"Are you serious?" Chihiro asked.

"Yep," said Lin, "they're in a private dinning room right now."

"Okay, something is seriously wrong with Yubaba," said Chihiro, "she would never dine with a customer, unless that customer was a high roller."

"Well, they're having dinner right now," said Lin.

"Well, I hope they cooked more than for two," said Yusuke, "'cause I'm starving."

"I could eat the ass of a dead elephant," said Kuwabara.

"That's a bold statement," said Toralei, "care to back it up?"

"You just show me a dead elephant," said Kuwabara, "I'll eat its ass."

"Keep boasting and I will," said Toralei. She then looked at Lin, "so, where is this private dinning room?'

"In a private area," said Lin, "you folks want dinner, I'll get one of your own. But Yubaba left instructions not to be disturbed."

"She's going to be disturbed," said Aiden, "we've got questions and Yubaba has answers."

Just then Rapunzel and Eugene, with her in a lavender and indigo kimono and he in a blue and white one, walked up to Lin, "Hey," said Eugene "how's it going?'

"I'm getting a bit of a stress headache," said Lin, "but other than that, I'm just peachy. How was your bath?"

"It was wonderful," said Rapunzel as she smiled warmly, "and very romantic. We can't thank you enough."

"Don't thank me," said Lin, "I'm just the foreman," she then smiled, "but I appreciate the thought. Anyway, it's Yubaba you should be thanking, she arranged the big tub for you."

"Then let's go talk to Yubaba," said Eugene. "I'm sure she'd listen to one or two business pointers I have to share."

"That's what we're trying to do," said Sora.

"It's extremely important that we ask her some questions," said Tess.

"I keep telling you people that Yubaba is not to be disturbed," said Lin in an annoyed tone. "She is having a private dinner with a customer!"

"Then let's join them!" said Eugene, "we haven't had dinner yet."

"I never realized how hungry you can get after a bath," said Rapunzel.

"We can all sit down with Yubaba and talk with her," said Frankie.

"And maybe she can do something about your arm," said Andy.

"I hope so," said Frankie.

"What part of 'no' do you people not understand?!" Lin shouted, "no one is to interrupt Yubaba and…and…shoot, I can't remember that girl's name, and she didn't even sign a contract with Yubaba." She then looked at Rapunzel and Eugene, "what was that kid's name?"

"I can't believe you'd forget Kairi so easily," said Rapunzel.

"KAIRI!?" exclaimed Sora, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas, Frankie, Howleen, Toralei, Andy, Felicia, Julia, Steven, Mark, Tara, Jana and Hezekiah.

"Who's Kairi again?" Yusuke asked.

"Apparently a very unusual person," said Lin.

"Kairi's here?" Sora asked in a slightly unsteady tone, "here? In the bathhouse? Eating dinner with Yubaba?"

"Yes," said Lin cautiously.

"Whatever Yubaba's paying you, I'll double it!" Sora shouted, "I'll triple it! I'll quadruple it!"

"You don't have that kind of money," said Aiden.

"I don't know," said Lin in a curious tone, "even after my promotion, my salary isn't really that big."

"I thought you had no tolerance for bribes," said Eugene.

"Well, it depends on the bribe," said Lin. "How big the bribe is, how nice the briber makes the offer, and the situation of course."

"I care more about Kairi than my own life," said Sora, "I…I love her, damn it! Here!" he then took out his munny pouch and emptied a sizeable amount of currency onto the floor, "here, take it! It's yours! Just let me see Kairi!" He then looked at Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, "how much do you all have? I'll pay you back later! Aiden! How much gold do you have?"

"Not much right now," said Aiden as he took out a small handful of gold nuggets, "I can always make more later."

"You can make gold!?" Eugene asked.

"Well, of course I can," said Aiden, "I am an alchemist after all."

"I'll pay whatever you want!" Sora shouted to Lin, "just let me see Kairi! Please!"

"Okay, I'll take you to her!" said Lin, "just calm down before you burst a vessel in your brain."

"I don't think Kairi would appreciate it if you gave yourself a brain aneurism before you actually see her," said Mark.

"Just cool it, Sora," said Riku, "Kairi isn't going anywhere."

"But we're so close," said Sora, "we've got to…"

"And how do you think Kairi's going to react when she sees you?!" Tara asked irately, "her mind's still confounded!"

"She still sees us as horrible creatures out to kill her," said Frankie.

"She'll either run away like a bat out of hell," said Julia, "or try to kill Sora, with extreme prejudice."

"And then she'll try to kill us," said Aiden.

"We've got to figure this out," said Riku, "there's got to be a way for Kairi to see us without her being terrified of us."

"I'm open to suggestions," said Tess.

"Well, we can start by telling Yubaba that we're back," said Chihiro, "Kairi doesn't know me, so if I talk to her, if I try to explain things, then she might be more accepting if I tell her that you and the others are here, Sora."

"That might just work," said Sora, "I'll try it that way."

"You guys are crazy, you know?" Lin asked.

"It's never stopped us before," said Tess, she then grinned widely, "and I'm a recovering, murdering psychopath."

"I'm not that surprised," said Lin. She then sighed with acceptance, "alright, I'll go tell Yubaba that you're here," she then looked at Chihiro, "but if she get mad, I'm putting the blame on you, Sen."

"I figured as much," said Chihiro.

"Right," said Lin. "We'll both go and talk to her."

Just then they all heard Yubaba and Kairi talking from around the corner.

"If anyone can help you, young Kairi," said Yubaba, "it's my sister. She's out of town right now, but as soon as she gets back, I'll let her know you're here."

"You've done enough for me," said Kairi, "I really don't want to be a burden."

"Nonsense," said Yubaba, "it's not every day I'm needed by someone in such dire straights and…" just then the two of them walked around the corner and saw our heroes and allies. It was a tense moment as Kairi saw Sora and the others. For a split second, she saw them as they really are.

But then the curse asserted itself and Kairi once again saw Sora as the tentacle creature, it's writing limbs and hagfish-like maw eager to tear her apart, while Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Tara, Jana, Hezekiah, Steven, Mark, Felicia and Julia as zombies with tentacles. She saw Frankie as an out of control, lumbering monstrosity, Howleen as a blood-thirsty werewolf, Toralei as a rabid werecat and Andy as a ravenous beast.

"NO!" Kairi shouted, her eyes wide with terror, "stay away from me, you horrible things!" she then ran back the way she came.

"Kairi! Stop!" Sora shouted as he ran after her, "it's me! It's Sora! You've got to calm down!"

"Here we go again!" said Tess as she and the others chased after Sora and Kairi, leaving Chihiro, Yubaba, Lin, Yusuke and Kuwabara in the lobby.

"In case no one else has figured it out, this sucks!" said Aiden.

"I figured it back at Hogwarts," said Tara.

Back at the lobby of the bathhouse, Yubaba was pacing back and forth in a worried manner, "oh dear, this isn't good. I thought I had calmed her down enough. But if I knew that Sora and the others had come back, I would have kept her away from them."

"So this is kinda your fault," said Yusuke.

"Oh shut up!" snapped Chihiro, "we've got to help Sora and the others before that girl runs amuck!"

They all then heard a loud crash, followed by the sound of something big breaking.

"That's not a good sound," said Yubaba in a serious tone, "Lin, stay here! Chihiro, let's go!" with that she, Chihiro ran after Sora and the others.

"What do you think, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked.

"What do you mean what do I think, Kuwabara!?" Yusuke exclaimed, "we're going too!" with that he and Kuwabara ran after Sora as well.

"This is going to be one of those nights when I should have stayed in bed," said Lin.

Just then she heard a familiar voice speaking behind her, "oh, being lazy now, are you, Lin?"

Lin turned around, her eyes widening with horror, "no way! It's impossible!"

* * *

Chihiro and Yubaba caught up with Sora and the others in the main bath area of the building. Kairi was franticly trying to get away from Sora, moving through the baths and smashing up decorative pieces and frightening customers and attendants alike.

"Leave me alone, you slimy bastard!" Kairi shouted as she grabbed a vase and threw it at Sora. He dodged it and it crashed to the floor into a thousand pieces. "You've ruined my life as it is! Why can't you just leave me alone!?" she then grabbed and threw another vase.

"It's me, Kairi!" Sora shouted after dodging the vase, "It's me, Sora! You've got to snap out of it!"

"She may never snap out of it, Sora!" Julia shouted. She then loaded one of her pistols with rubber bullets, "just get out of the way so I can disable her!"

"No! Don't hurt her!" Sora shouted after dodging another vase.

"He ought to be worried about him being hurt," said Toralei.

"Frankie! Tase her again!" Howleen shouted.

"I can't!" Frankie said, "there's too much humidity in the air and water on the floor. I could end up shocking all of us!"

"Well, what'd you expect?" Toralei asked, "we're in a bathhouse."

Tara then pulled out her wand, "this time for sure," she said as she aimed her wand at Kairi, _"Stupify!"_

The stunning spell shot at Kairi, but she summoned her Keyblade and blocked it, then rushed at Sora, whom barely got his Keyblade out in time to block her.

"I'll destroy you!" Kairi shouted, her face twisted with rage, "I'll rip you apart, you slimy thing!"

"Stop it, Kairi!" Sora shouted as Kairi kept attacking. He kept blocking but was unaware that he was being forced into a corner.

"She can't hear you!" Yubaba shouted, "her mind is cursed!"

"Can't you break it, Yubaba?" Chihiro asked.

"I'm sorry, Chihiro," said Yubaba, "but this is beyond my power."

At that Chihiro frowned, "that's twice now you've used my real name. Before that you kept calling me Sen, so what gives?"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about, Sen," said Yubaba in a calm tone, though the look in her eyes betrayed the fact that a nerve had been struck.

"You're lying," said Chihiro as she looked at Yubaba with suspicious eyes, "I don't know how, but I can tell you're lying. You're not really Yubaba, aren't you?"

"I am Yubaba!" said the old witch, "why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," said Chihiro, "but you've been acting unlike yourself ever since I got here."

"Can we worry about that later?!" Yusuke asked. He and Kuwabara had reached the area just now and had seen that Sora was almost backed up against the wall, while Kairi was furiously attacking him. "Not when Sora's about to be shish kabob by his girlfriend! Kuwabara! Let's go!"

"Now way, Urameshi!" said Kuwabara as he stubbornly crossed his arm.

"What!?" exclaimed Yusuke, "wait, you don't mean…?"

"That's right," said Kuwabara, "I'm not fighting Kairi."

"Why the hell not!?" Aiden shouted, "we're fighting her!" Indeed, he and the others had pulled Sora out of the way, but now Kairi was taking turns attacking everyone else. Right now she was dueling between Riku, Tess, Mark and Felicia, her rage and terror-fueled state making her faster, stronger and more agile than before and able to overpower multiple opponents.

"And we're doing a very bad job at it," said Malcolm, whom had a dislocated shoulder and two cracked ribs, while Howleen had a fractured right wrist and a broken nose, Steven and Julia both had head wounds, while Jana's left eye had swollen shut.

"We all need to work together if we're going to stop Kairi," said Chihiro, "she's completely out of control!"

"I get it," said Kuwabara, "but I'm still not fighting Kairi."

"Don't worry about hurting her," said Tess as she dodged a Keyblade stab, "we can heal her when she's unconscious!"

"I still won't fight her!" said Kuwabara, "I don't fight girls!"

At that Aiden and several others, at least the ones not fighting Kairi, blinked in confusion, "what?" Aiden asked, "mind repeating that for me? I think there's something wrong with my ears."

"You heard me," said Kuwabara, "I don't fight girls!"

"Unbelievable," said an annoyed Yusuke, "you're still carrying on that stupid code of yours?"

"A man has his own code of honor, Urameshi!" exclaimed Kuwabara, "and part of my code is that I don't fight girls! It just ain't right!"

"Are you insane?!" Malcolm shouted, then winced as his cracked ribs gave a sharp twinge of pain.

"How can you not fight girls!?" Roxas asked, "demons come as girls too, you know!"

"I don't care about that!" said Kuwabara, "I don't fight girls, end of discussion!"

"You need to learn that chivalry is dead," said Toralei, "when you get right down to it, it's kill or be killed."

"Remind me to bash your head in later, Kuwabara," said Yusuke, "I'll handle this."

"Never mind, young man!" said a voice from the doorway of the baths, a voice that was very familiar.

Everyone looked and saw Yubaba standing at the entranceway, along with a very flustered-looking Lin.

"What the hell!?" exclaimed Yusuke as he saw Yubaba at the doorway, then saw that Yubaba was standing right next to him, "okay, what the hell is going on here!?"

"Isn't it obvious, Urameshi!?" Kuwabara asked in a terrified tone, "doppelgangers!"

"You stupid human!" said the other Yubaba irately as she levitated a few inches off of the floor and 'zoomed' over to Kuwabara, glaring irately at him right in his face, "can't you tell twins when you see them!"

"Zeneba?" Chihiro asked in a confused tone, "Granny?" she then shook her head, "no, it can't be! It just can't!"

"Well, Sen," said the other Yubaba as she focused her eyes on Chihiro, "I'm disappointed in you. Last time we met, I had thought you had become a bit wiser. It appears that I'm wrong."

"She has changed, dear sister," said the first Yubaba, "Chihiro has grown stronger in more ways than you realize."

"I'll thank you to mind your own business, dear sister!" said the second Yubaba.

"Okay, what's going on here?" a highly confused Frankie asked.

"I can tell that you're not that wise either, young Monster," said the second Yubaba.

"Everyone," said Lin as she indicated the second Yubaba, "this is the real Yubaba. The one you know, she's Zeneba."

"It's true," said the first Yubaba, in truth, Zeneba, "I'm the good twin, masquerading as her not so good twin for almost five years."

"So that's why you've been so nice to everyone," said Chihiro, "and why you conceded to changing things here." She then looked at the real Yubaba, "but if you're the real you, then where have you been for five years?"

"I'm entitled to take an extended vacation if I want!" said Yubaba, "and I'll thank you, Sen, if you refrain from asking what I did on my extended vacation. Needless to say, after being outwitted by you and then suffering through Haku's betrayal, not to mention the threat of a sit down strike, I felt the need to get away from it all for a while."

"So she asked me to stand in her place during her sabbatical," said Zeneba, "while my nephew has been absent too."

"I can't believe I forgot about Boh," said Chihiro, "where is he?"

"With his no-account father," said Yubaba, "we're divorced with joint custody. Last I heard, my ex and my son are on an archeological dig on Raxacoricofallapatorius."

She then glared at the scene before her, focusing on the out of control Kairi as she kicked Riku in the chest, then bashed Tess in the head, before turning to attack Sora again, "now, about this slip of a girl who dares to run amuck in my bathhouse!" she then cast a stunning spell that hit Kairi and knocked her completely out cold.

"You got her," said Sora as he and the others rushed up to the unconscious Kairi. Sora then realized that the real Yubaba was there, "uh…what's going on?"

"Long story," said Chihiro.

"I knew we should have taken that portal to Niagara Falls for our honeymoon," said Eugene.

"I actually heard great things about Monte Carlo," said Rapunzel, "but this is much more exciting."

* * *

A short time later, the still unconscious Kairi had been moved to a private room, where several of the bathhouse attendants, as well as Lin, were keeping watch, having been instructed to inform Yubaba the second Kairi showed any sign of waking up.

Sora, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm and the others, their wounds healed, had relocated to a large meeting room in Yubaba's apartment, where the aged witch and her Zeneba were talking with our heroes and allies.

"Before we talk about the girl," said Yubaba, "there's a few things I wish to discuss with my twin," she then looked at Zeneba, "when I asked you to stand in for me on my sabbatical, I was under the impression that I would return to find the bathhouse in the same state as I left it.

"And yet here I have retuned to find higher wages and human guests, among other changes that you knew that I would never approve! Care to explain yourself, dear sister?"

"One word, dear sister," said Zeneba, "profit. The bathhouse has never seen so much cash flow. You should be thanking me for dealing with that sitdown strike without resorting to violence. And never once while you were away did anyone suspect that I was not you."

"You always could get away with impersonating me," said Yubaba, "and I will allow the changes to stay, if only to keep up the increased earnings. And I'll admit, constructing a hotel for humans and granting them access to the bathhouse has opened up new opportunities for profit.

"But then I heard rumors of demons and Heartless, so I had to cut my vacation short. And low and behold, I find chaos here: a gaggle of Keyblade Wielders, an assortment of Meta Humans and Monsters, not to mention a pair of humans whom have an impressive level of control over their spiritual energies." She then looked at Eugene and Rapunzel, "and somehow you two are caught up in this. I'll get back to you two in a bit."

"I can hardly wait," Eugene muttered.

"And then we have little Sen," said Yubaba as she looked at Chihiro, "whom isn't so little anymore. Why did you come back? I thought rescuing your mother and father from being butchered would have put you off of this world forever."

"I honestly had no plans to come back, Yubaba," said Chihiro, "but circumstances changed. I felt that I was needed," she looked at Sora, "that he and his friends needed me, and that…that…"

"That Haku needed you?" Yubaba asked. She then laughed coldly, "that dragon-boy took off like a bat out of hell the moment he said he quit. I haven't heard anything from him in five years. Believe me, Sen. Haku is gone and he's not coming back."

"I can still hope," said Chihiro confidently.

"There's still the matter of Gorgom," said Felicia.

"And Frankie's arm!" said Andy.

"I'm okay without my arm for now," said Frankie, "but what about Kairi?"

"One thing at a time," said Jana, "Kairi's okay for now and Frankie's arm can wait." He looked at Yubaba, "Gorgom is controlling the demons and Heartless, but that's about as much as we know right now."

"They want something or someone in the bathhouse," said Chihiro, "any ideas?"

"I have a very good idea as to what they want in the bathhouse," said Yubaba, "and I won't let them have it!"

"But what is it?" Frankie asked, "what could it be that these horrible people want so much?"

At that Yubaba remained silent. Instead she summoned a jewel-encrusted gold box that had an elaborate lock.

"A box?" Aiden asked, "they're sending demons, Heartless and Mutants all over the place, just for a box?"

"It's what in the box, you simpleton!" said Yubaba, "and no, I don't have the key, I lost it long ago. Inside are two crystals that resonate with a mysterious power. They were entrusted to me when I was younger, by someone who paid me an sizeable amount of gold to not only keep the crystals safe, but also to keep the original owner anonymous."

"And you used that gold to start the bathhouse," said Zeneba.

"Why do you think the enemy wants the crystals?" Malcolm asked.

"For their power," said Yubaba, "why else would an insidious organization want them? And I don't know exactly what kind of power the crystals have. And before you ask, I'm afraid I cannot open the lock, and believe me, I've tried."

"What do the crystals look like?" Riku asked.

"One's orange, the other's purple," said Yubaba, "they're round, about the size of chicken eggs, big ones at that. That's all I remember, it must have been….three hundred…three hundred and fifty years, give or take a decade or so." Yubaba then vanished the box, "it's in my most secure of vaults. I am the only one who knows the spell that can retrieve it."

"Then the enemy will come for you," said Hezekiah, "if they know you have the crystals, then they must also know that you don't have the key."

"Then they must have it," said Malcolm, "or some other means of opening the box."

"If they know that Yubaba has the box," said Tess, "then why are they skulking around the bathhouse? Why haven't they attack? What are they waiting for?"

"They must have known," said Zeneba, "they must have known that I was masquerading as my sister."

"And now that I have returned," said Yubaba, "they will come." She then stood up, "let them come! Let them try and destroy what I worked so hard to create!"

"At the expense of those whom you've enslaved!?" Rapunzel asked irately as she stood up, "I know that you hold power over your workers by taking away their true names!"

"It's how I run business!" said Yubaba, "how I run my business is my business, young lady!"

"Slavery is still slavery," said Rapunzel as she glared defiantly at Yubaba.

"Can we talk about this later?" Sora asked, "we've got another problem."

"Frankie's arm," said Andy.

"That can wait," said Frankie, "Kairi's the one who needs to be fixed."

"Is that all?" Yubaba asked, "well, she'll sleep without dreams for a while, which is where the true problem lies. Her mind is cursed by a demon, cursed to confound her memories and visual perception. She sees Sora and all those she cares for as horrific creatures out of the cursed nightmare that started this whole mess, and that nightmare is still within her inner mind."

"If we get rid of that cursed nightmare," said Sora in a hopeful tone, "will that break the curse? Will that make Kairi better?"

"Will she stop trying to kill us out of rage and terror?" Aiden asked.

"It should," said Yubaba, "there's just one problem, I don't know how."

"I do," said Zeneba, "and I have been pondering the problem ever since you and your friends first told me about it, Sora. I'm sorry I didn't offer to help before, but I had to wait until I had a plan that I was reasonably sure would work, which I do have now."

"Then what do we do?" Sora asked, "tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"You're going to have to go inside Kairi's mind and destroy the cursed nightmare," said Zeneba in a matter of fact tone.

"Okay," said Sora, "sound's simple enough. But how do I do it?"

"That's where things get tricky," said Zeneba, "for many reasons. First of all, a complex bit of magic must be set up before Sora can enter Kairi's mind. Her subconscious has suffered a lot of damage from the cursed nightmare and the trauma of another mind interacting with hers would only aggravate the damage further. The special spell I shall prepare will prevent further aggravation, but only if a single mind enters Kairi. Hence, Sora shall be the one."

"You want Sora to fix Kairi's mind all by himself?" Riku asked.

"It'll be more than a simple repair job," said Zeneba, "on the other hand, it may be just as simple. All Sora has to do is destroy the manifestation of the cursed nightmare plaguing Kairi, which I believe is the horrific creature she sees Sora as; a true monstrosity with his face but with a mouth like a hagfish and slime-dripping tentacles for hands.

"Good grief!" said Sora in an astonished tone, "is that how Kairi sees me?"

"In a nutshell," said Zeneba, "you must go into her mind and fight this abomination. Once it's destroyed, the damage done to Kairi's mind will need an infusion of pure healing magic," she then looked at Rapunzel and Chihiro, "that's where you two come in."

"Me?" both Rapunzel and Chihiro asked at the same time.

"Yes," said Zeneba. She looked at Rapunzel, "I know how you used to have very, very long, golden blond hair, and that that hair glowed with healing magic whenever you sang a special song. It's unfortunate that it had to be cut in the circumstances it was cut, but you still have the power within you."

"It's true," said Rapunzel, "if I didn't, then Eugene would have died."

"Miracles do happen," said a grinning Eugene as he and Rapunzel held hands.

"It was a miracle," said Rapunzel, "but I haven't been able to use my power since."

"You still can," said Zeneba, "you just need to find another means of accessing it."

"But what about me?" Chihiro asked, "I don't doubt your judgment, Granny, but I don't have any magic powers, let alone healing magic."

"But you do, Chihiro," said Zeneba, "you've had the potential for magic the moment you were born. When you first passed trough the train station with your mother and father, you sensed that something was off with the whole situation. This was more than a child's sensitivity to the supernatural. Your powers woke up a bit, heightening your senses, warning you of potential danger. More so, you were able to see all the spirits in full detail, when any other human child would haven't seen them at all, despite being in our world after dark."

"You mean, my seeing Haku the first time at the bridge," said Chihiro, "I saw him because I have magic? But why haven't I had any other flashes of magic since I returned to the human world?"

"Oh, you've had minor sparks of it from time to time," said Zeneba, "haven't you anticipated something just before it happened? Something that seemed more than instinct and intuition?"

"Yeah," said Chihiro in a distant tone, "sometimes I know that the phone is going to ring or someone's coming to the front door. Sometimes, when I'm in a sparing match, I know what my opponent is going to do before he does it. And my dreams; I dreamed about Sora, Kairi, Frankie and the others," she then looked at Yusuke and Kuwabara, "though I didn't see you two oddballs coming."

"Oddball?" Kuwabara asked in a mildly offended tone, "who are you calling an oddball?"

"If I didn't know any better, Kuwabara," said Yusuke in a teasing tone, "I'd say she was calling you out."

"What!?" exclaimed Kuwabara. He then glared at Chihiro, "is that right!? You calling me out?!"

"It wasn't my intention," said Chihiro in a serious tone, "but if you want it that way, then pick the time and place, we'll have it out."

"As soon as this whole mess is over!" said Kuwabara, "right out front of the bathhouse!"

"I'll be there!" said Chihiro.

"Didn't you just say that you don't fight girls?" Aiden asked Kuwabara.

"He did," said Frankie.

"Well, Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked.

"I…uh…that is," said a visibly nervous Kuwabara, "well…it depends on the fight. I mean, if it's just a sparing match, or if it's for a tournament, or just to see who's the best."

"You can fight later," said Sora. He then looked at Zeneba, "how can Chihiro help Kairi?"

"All that needs to be done is wake up Chihiro's power," said Zeneba, "and help Rapunzel control her power. Once they've got control of their mojo, they'll be able to heal Kairi's mind once it's free of the cursed nightmare."

"When do we start?" Rapunzel asked.

"Immediately," said Zeneba, "it'll take a while to set up the mind melding spell for Sora, while I'm also helping you and Chihiro, but it can be done."

"There's still so much that I don't get," said Chihiro, "why me? I'm just an ordinary girl."

"And I only have this power because my mother drank a healing potion brewed from a magical flower before I was born," said Rapunzel, "other than that, I'm perfectly normal."

"Oh please," said Eugene, "you're anything but normal. Well, you're not ordinary."

"You two are as far from ordinary as any girl can be," said Zeneba.

"Don't tell them!" snapped Yubaba, "they're not ready!"

"They never will be if they don't know," said Zeneba. She then looked at Rapunzel and Chihiro, "you two are Princesses of Heart."

"Excuse me?" said a confused Chihiro.

"What does that mean?" Rapunzel asked.

"It means you have absolutely pure hearts," said a smiling Tess. "Completely free of darkness."

"I figured there was something special about you two," said Frankie.

"I knew it the moment I first smelled them," said Howleen, "trust me, the nose knows."

"But what does that mean?" Rapunzel asked.

Just then they all heard Malcolm cry out in pain. He had fallen to the floor, clutching his head as if experiencing an excruciating headache. But before any of our heroes could help him, Malcolm sat up, a dazed look on his face, but then he looked at Rapunzel and Chihiro, "it means you two are part of a group of extraordinary girls."

"You okay, man?" Aiden asked.

"I'm better than okay," said a grinning Malcolm, "I'm more than okay. A bunch of memories I forgot in my blackouts just came back."

"Really?" Sora asked, "what do you remember?"

"They're only flashes, but I remember seeing these big stain glass windows atop platforms in the middle of this big blackness," said Malcolm, "one of them had Violet, another had Chihiro and a third had Rapunzel."

"That's way too familiar for my taste," said an annoyed Aiden, "whatever powers that be that put the images of Sara and her group in my head, and all this alchemy junk that I'm still trying to figure out, they messed with Malcolm's head in the same way."

"I also remembered seeing Merida," said Malcolm, "guys, she's a Princess of Heart too!"

"I'm actually not surprised," said Riku.

"That means we've identified four," said Tess, "Columbina said she knew of one who had her powers already woken up, while we stopped Violet from going dark."

"Which means that Merida is still in danger!" said Malcolm. He then looked at Rapunzel and Chihiro, "and so are you two, I guess."

"In danger of what?" Eugene asked.

"Of being corrupted into something most foul," said Tara.

"There's a very, very, very wicked woman out there who wants to destroy all that we hold dear," said Tess, "aside from Maleficent."

"But we beat Columbina," said Sora, "we found Kairi first. Columbina lost the wager!"

"It's not over yet, Sora," said Felicia, "we were all there when Columbina and Alegra made the bet. We have to find and cure Kairi first, before Columbina gets to her. That bitch could attack before you're ready to cure Kairi's mind."

"Which means we've got a lot of work to do," said Zeneba. She then looked at Yubaba, "dearest sister, I know we have had our differences in the past, but…"

"Say no more, sister of mine," said Yubaba, "this time, this one time, I will put aside all animosity between us and we'll work to defeat this evil that threatens so much."

"Then let's get started," said Zeneba, "I'll get to work on the spell for Sora, while working with Rapunzel and Chihiro on their powers. Oh, I suppose I ought to fix Frankie's arm while I'm at it."

"It's not necessary," said Frankie, "I can do without. Besides, you've got more than enough on your plate as it is."

"Nonsense," said Zeneba. She then summoned two paper _Shikigami_, which then morphed onto transparent copies of Zeneba.

"This way," said all three of the aged witch, "I can do what has to be done without distractions." The first copy solidified and walked up to Frankie, "now, about your arm?"

"I'll be working on the spell for Sora," said the second copy as she solidified.

"Which leaves me to help Rapunzel and Chihiro," said the original Zeneba.

"While I'll coordinate the defense of the bathhouse," said Yubaba, "if Gorgom and this Columbina think they can get away with ruining my business, they've got another thing coming!"

"You know, this is the most bizarre thing we've done yet," said Tess to Riku.

"You think this is weird?" Yusuke asked, "try working for a god-like toddler. Now that's weird."

"I'll have to take your word for it," said Riku.

* * *

"The new Mutants should be ready in a moment," said Darom as he, his fellow High Priests, The Lord of Illusions, Brother Courtney, Shadowcast and the woman in black, stood in the laboratory in front of the cultivation tanks.

"How many?" Brother Courtney asked.

"Four," said Baraom, "if we try to activate more, we will rin the risk of having them emerge imperfect."

"They will be weak, unreliable, unworthy of Gorgum," said Bishium.

"Well, we can't have that," said the woman in black, "it's bad enough that one Mutant was no match for those impertinent brats. Imagine a whole bunch of weakling Mutants."

"You know," said The Lord of Illusions in an annoyed tone, "your teasing is starting to get on my nerves."

"Who said I was teasing?" the woman in black asked in a serious tone. "I'm being perfectly clear and precise. If these Mutants cannot get the job done, then we're batter off without them."

"And just where will we find new minions to do the job?" Brother Courtney asked, "it would take an army of demons and Heartless to break through the defenses Yubaba has around her bathhouse. And she has returned to the bathhouse."

"So the one whom we thought was Yubaba is in fact her twin sister?" the woman in black asked, "masquerading as the first?"

"She's a crafty one, Yubaba," said Darom, "she will have the items we need in a secure place that only she will have access too."

"Then we'll just have to force her to reveal it," said Brother Courtney. "Dai-Shocker's plans cannot go forward without those items."

"Neither can my plan," said the woman in black.

"Your plan?" The Lord of Illusions asked, "what about your plan?"

"This is the first I've heard of a secondary objective," said Brother Courtney, "please, enlighten us."

"It'd be my pleasure," said the woman in black. My plan involves obtaining an item of equal importance to the ones Gorgom needs, important to me that is."

"And just what is this other important item?" The Lord of Illusions asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, big boy," said the woman in black.

"Insufferable tramp," said Shadowcast.

"Oh, don't be such a prude," said the woman in black in a pouting tone, " believe me, once I have this item, that's when the fun will really begin."

"But what is the item?" Brother Courtney demanded, "I insist that you tell me!"

"You'll just have to be surprised," said the woman in black, "but I can tell you this; the item is in the possession of Rapunzel, and she is in the bathhouse with the other brats."

"Will she give it up?" Baraom asked.

"Not easily," said the woman in black, "but I won't be deterred. In fact, I'm going to enjoy taking it from her."

Just then four tanks opened up and from them emerged four new Mutants. All four were humanoid, in that they stood on two legs and had two arms, as well as differentt animal attributes.

The first one was covered in black feathers, had clawed feet and its arms were winged. Its eyes were black and had a large beak that ended in a razor-sharp point, giving the creature the appearance of a crow.

The second was covered in shaggy brown fur covering layers of muscle. It's limbs ended in long claws that could rip flesh apart and a bear-like head with a maw full of sharp teeth.

The third was covered in smooth, gray skin and limbs that had fins sticking out of it. A large fin stuck out of its back and it had a shark-like head with empty black eyes and a mouth full of rows of razor sharp teeth.

The fourth was also covered in fur, orange and black this time. It's limbs ended in razor sharp claws and it's tiger-like head had equally sharp teeth and fangs.

"_Karasu_ Mutant," said Darom as he looked at the crow creature, then at the bear creature, "_Kuma_ Mutant," then at the shark creature, "_Same_ Mutant," and at the tiger creature, "_Tora_ Mutant. Welcome to the fold."

All four creatures bowed and spoke as one, "we live to obey the will of Gorgom!"

"Outstanding," said a smiling Brother Courtney.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Outstanding indeed," said Xehanort as he and the other villains watched the scene in the underground lab, "we searched for Sora and his companions, and now we've discovered potential allies."

"What kind of creatures are those?" Sephiroth asked, indicating the four mutants.

"Clearly they are genetic abominations grown from a Petri dish," said Insano, "crude, but effective minions."

"And that fascinating Lord of Illusions," said Lady Tremaine, "I had thought he was lost in the primal darkness."

"He's clearly tougher to kill than even Sora thought," said Dio Brando.

"But what of the white robed ones," said Maleficent, "and that monk? And the demon? And just who is that black-cloaked woman?"

"Someone whom I had hopped to never see or hear from again," said Regina as she glared at the image of the woman in black, "someone whom I once vowed to destroy."

"Can it be?" Lady Tremaine asked in a curious tone, "someone you hate more than Snow White?"

"My hatred of this woman predates Snow White," said Regina, "yet, time does heal wounds, not all, but this is one that I may be willing to forgive, if she is willing to speak with me," she then looked at Maleficent, "I will be needing an extended supply of the potion."

"You shall have it," said Maleficent, "in return for allowing others to join you."

"They're welcome to come," said Regina, "after I've determined what my former nemesis is up to."

"So be it," said Maleficent. She then summoned a wooden case that had six vials of the potion that kept Regina hale and whole, "take care of these, for they are all that you shall be receiving for some time."

"I'll cherish them as if they were my own children," said Regina as she took the case. She then looked at Sephiroth, whom nodded slightly in acknowledgement. With that, Regina summoned a Dark Corridor and stepped through.

"Just what is her beef?" Dio Brando asked as the Dark Corridor closed up.

"Whatever it is," said Gaston, whom had the whole time been doing pushups, "it had better give me the chance to destroy something."

"And for me to drive innocent hearts into the depths of despair," said Lady Tremaine.

"You shall have ample opportunity for both," said Maleficent. "We've toyed with Sora long enough. The time has come to bring his suffering to a head. Whatever those other villains are up to, they will either assist us, or they will be destroyed! Nothing will stand in the way of driving Sora to the breaking point!"

* * *

**…The Enemy Lair…**

The Dark Corridor opened up, startling The Three High Priests, The Lord of Illusions, Brother Courtney, Shadowcast, the woman in black and the Mutants.

Regina emerged from the Dark Corridor and looked around, settling her eyes on the woman in black, "well, hello, my dear comrade. It's been too long."

"Yes," said the woman in black in a slightly nervous tone, "it has been too long, old comrade."

**The end of chapter 4.**

_Next chapter finds both heroes and villains preparing to fight again, while Alegra recruits another ally. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	6. Chapter 5: Dark Counterattack

_Last time found our heroes regrouping after their initial battle with Gorgom, while also getting to know Yusuke and Kuwabara. But then things came together as Sora and the gang were reunited with Kairi, whom naturally went berserk at the sight of her friends. Running amuck in the bathhouse, she was eventually calmed down by Yubaba, the real Yubaba that is. The Yubaba our heroes and allies had met was in fact Zeneba. In short, a plan was drawn up where Sora would go inside Kairi's mind and destroy the cursed nightmare, after which both Chihiro and Rapunzel would use their healing powers to heal Kairi's mind. It was also revealed that both Chihiro and Rapunzel are Princesses of Heart, while Malcolm remembered a whole lot that he had forgotten during his blackouts. Meanwhile with Gorgom, the baddies had received a most unexpected guest. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 5: Dark Counterattack**

The Dark Corridor opened up, startling The Three High Priests, The Lord of Illusions, Brother Courtney, Shadowcast, the woman in black and the Mutants.

Regina emerged from the Dark Corridor and looked around, settling her eyes on the woman in black, "well, hello, my dear comrade. It's been too long."

"Yes," said the woman in black in a slightly nervous tone, "it has been too long, old comrade."

"Who is this intruder!?" Bishium exclaimed, "how dare you violate the sanctum of Gorgom!?"

"Is that any way to talk to a queen?" Regina asked.

"If you're a queen, then I'm an Catholic priest," said The Lord of Illusions, "everyone, this is the 'former' evil queen whom tormented Snow White for so long, only to fall down a mountain and spend ten years in a mental ward."

"Which I've recovered fully," said Regina as she looked at the trickster, "I'd say it was good to see you, but then I'd be lying. How did you do it, you color-changing fop? How did you escape The Mobiüs Continuum?"

"Through the benevolence of The Enigma Order," said Brother Courtney.

"Never heard of you," said Regina.

"We like to stay in the shadows," said the insidious monk, he then bowed, "Brother Courtney, at your service."

"Charmed," said Regina as she held out her hand, which Brother Courtney took and then kissed, "you do know that you have a girl's name?"

"I've learned to shrug off quips about my name," said Brother Courtney.

"Yes, 'what's in a name?' after all," said Regina. She then looked at Shadowcast and the Three High Priests, "and just who are these distinguished individuals?"

"The ones whom will destroy you if you do not explain yourself, woman!" Baraom exclaimed.

"Who are you and what are you doing in our domain!?" Darom shouted.

"I thought my identity had been made clear by now," said Regina, "as to my intentions, I am merely reacquainting myself with my old comrade," she then looked at the woman in black, "how are you, by the way?"

"I've been better and worse since our last encounter," said the woman in black, "while you've made a full recovery, it would seem. Last I saw you, you were laying in pool of your own blood."

"With your knife in my back," said Regina, "I still have the scar. Care to witness your handiwork?"

"I'd rather not," said the woman in black. She then glared irately at Regina, "let's cut to the chase and get to the real reason why you've come? If you wanted revenge for my betrayal when we were younger, you would have come for me by now."

"Revenge is a dish best served cold," said Regina, "and worth waiting for, but that is not the reason why I've come after so long. How long as hit been exactly? I seem to have lost track of the years somewhat."

"Three hundred and ninety one years," said the woman in black, "give or take a few weeks."

"Has it really been that long since college?" Regina asked in a mock astonished tone, "my, how the time flies."

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"She's not that old!" exclaimed Dio Brando, "Regina can't be three hundred and ninety one, right? She's like, what…35? 36?"

"She's far older than that, you simpleton!" said Maleficent, "Magic has the beneficial ability to extend life."

"Or steal it from another," said Xehanort, "we may never truly know the secrets of our dear Regina," he then looked at the image of the woman in black on The Interocitor, "but what of this one? What is her secret?"

"Keep watching, baldy," said Gaston as he crunched a fist-sized lump of iron into powder, "you'll find out."

* * *

**…The Enemy Lair…**

"As much as I enjoy the banter between you two lovely ladies," said Brother Courtney, "I believe our gracious hosts, The Three High Priests of Gorgom, are growing impatient."

"Indeed," said Regina. She then looked at Doram, Baraom and Bishium, "then permit me to explain myself. You no doubt have seen what Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders can do."

"We've seen the brats in action," said Darom, "they are…gifted amateurs."

"Luck was with them when they faced _Wani _Mutant," said Bishium, "this time we shall send four Mutants," she then looked at _Karasu _Mutant, _Kuma _Mutant, _Same _Mutant and _Tora _Mutant, "isn't that right?"

"We will ruin them with our anger, mistress!" cawed _Karasu _Mutant.

"Crush them into a bloody pulp!" bellowed _Kuma _Mutant.

"Eat them alive!" said _Same _Mutant.

"Tear them to pieces, then eat them!" roared _Tora _Mutant.

"Impressive," said Regina, "but futile."

"You dare mock the might of Gorgom!?" exclaimed Baraom, "for that you shall be chastised with scorpions!"

"I'm immune to most animal venoms," said Regina, "as well as many more poisons."

"Intriguing," said Shadowcast.

"I'm so much more than that, my opaque demon," said Regina, "Maleficent has made herself near immortal with her multiple lives, while I've simply made myself very difficult to kill. But that's beside the point," she then looked at the Three High Priests. "What is my point, is that without my assistance, Sora and his companions will destroy you, like they've destroyed so many others who stood in their way."

"It's true," said The Lord of Illusions as he idly looked at his fingernails, "Sora and his comrades, they do have that annoying habit in their favor."

"They will fall before the might of Gorgom!" exclaimed Bishium, "I care not how many those brats have vanquished! They shall fall!"

"If not by Gorgom," said Brother Courtney, "then by someone else. I'm sure there is someone within Dai-Shocker whom is up to the task of exterminating Sora and his fellow pests.

"Dai-Shocker?" Regina asked, "who or what is Dai-Shocker?"

"You truly do not know?" Brother Courtney asked in an astonished tone. He then smiled wickedly, "then permit me the honor of enlightening you." he then looked at The Lord of Illusions, "be so kind as to provide us with a fitting scenario for our…discussions."

With a look of annoyance, the foppish trickster created the illusion of a beach at sunset. Several lawn chairs had bet set to watch dusk approach, while the sound of ukuleles could be heard playing.

A serving girl carrying a tray full of coconut drinks with little plastic umbrellas walked up.

"Perfect," said Brother Courtney as he took two coconuts and handed one to Regina, "let us sit and enjoy the scenario."

"Indeed," said Regina as she and Brother Courtney sat down, while the other villains looked on disapprovingly.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Why that uncouth trollop!" snapped Lady Tremaine as she glared at the image of Regina and Brother Courtney, "here I am, trapped in this moldering castle, while she enjoys coconut Champaign on a romantic beach!"

"That one was always a bit of a romantic at heart," said Maleficent, "which makes her weak. Romance has no place for those who seek power!"

"Neither does Gorgom and The Enigma Order!" said Xehanort irately.

"What crawled up your ass now?" Dio Brando asked.

"I remember now," said Xehanort, "both groups are affiliated with Dai-Shocker, whom I have no desire to associate with!" he then looked at Maleficent, "call your sister in darkness back! Let Sora and his companions deal with Dai-Shocker! If they survive, we can destroy them afterwards."

"What's your problem with Dai-Shocker?" Gaston asked.

"Probably the same he has with Zangyack," said Lady Tremaine.

"Speaking of which," said Insano as he held up a Tablet, "I've translated the message Zangyack sent to us."

"I told you to let that be!" Xehanort shouted, "you dare to disobey me!"

"He is in my service as well!" said Maleficent as she stood up, "and I desire to know what was in the message."

"It's merely an invitation to have lunch with Akudos Gilz," said Insano, "apparently, the emperor of Zangyack is somewhat infatuated with you, Maleficent. He seeks an alliance, both in power and in marriage."

"Maleficent? Get married!?" exclaimed Lady Tremaine as she smiled with vicious glee, "how scandalous! How utterly scandalous!"

"This is outrageous!" snapped Xehanort as he stood up, "I will not stand for this! I forbid any and all further contact with Zangyack! So long as Akudos Gilz sits on the throne of that blighted empire! Anyone whom does so shall be exiled from this castle!"

"You can't kick us out!" Dio Brando shouted as he stood up, glaring at Xehanort, "we've as much right to be here as you do, old man!"

"I am the master of this castle!" said Xehanort, "I have the power to exile anyone whom I wish! Now, my friend, you have three choices. You can forget ever contacting Zangyack, or you can take your leave."

"What's the third option?" Insano asked.

"I throw him out," said Xehanort, "and you do not wish to know how I will do that."

"Then consider the matter dropped," said Dio Brando, "I didn't mean to make you upset, my friend."

"But you have stirred our curiosity," said Sephiroth, "what could have Akudos Gilz done to you to make you hate him so much?"

"And what is your issue with Dai-Shocker?" Maleficent asked.

"I have my reasons!" said Xehanort. He then glared at Maleficent, "do as you like, woman! Involve yourself with Dai-Shocker, so long as it results in the furthering of our goals, nothing more. But if I even hear a hint of your fraternizing with Akudos Gilz or any aspect of Zangyack, I shall break that pretty little neck of yours, and no dark magic shall bring you back to life ever again!" with that he stormed out of the room.

"Well, he certainly woke up on the right side of the bed today," said Lady Tremaine.

"Indeed," said Maleficent. She then looked at Insano, "you will construct a means of responding to Akudos Gilz, conveying my interest in a political alliance, while denying his offer of marriage."

"Without getting caught by baldy, no less," said Insano, "a fitting challenge of a man of my demonic intellect. Yes, a chance to match wits with Xehanort. Indeed, a challenge I shall triumph in, with SCIENCE!" he then laughed as he walked out of the room.

"I don't care who does what here," said Gaston, "so long as I get a chance to destroy something."

"You may not have that much longer to wait," said Sephiroth. He then sent a telepathic message to Regina. _:The alliance at the castle is coming apart at the seams. Xehanort and Maleficent have begun to have an open falling out.:_

* * *

**…The Enemy Lair…**

_:Outstanding!: _Regina responded with her mind, _:and as you're aware of, I have secured a surplus of the potion. As soon as we convince Insano to work with us, I'll send that brilliant degenerate enough for him to begin synthesizing more. I'll have to wait until Maleficent isn't looking, but it's a start.:_

_:Indeed,:_ said Sephiroth, _:things are starting to come together. It's only a matter of time before Xehanort and Maleficent are pushed too far and they try to destroy each other. If fortune has it, they will destroy each other.:_

_:And if there is a survivor,: _said Regina, _:then we shall destroy that one. All we have to do is watch and wait for the right opportunity, the right moment to push the two 'lovebirds' in the right direction.:_

"Have you been paying attention to me at all?" Brother Courtney asked.

_:I'll get back with you in a bit,: _said Regina. She then spoke aloud, "I'm sorry, I must have wandered off for a moment. You were saying?"

"I was listing the benefits of an alliance with Dai-Shocker," said Brother Courtney, "we have many worlds under our control, the wealth and resources of which are at our disposal, as well as an army of obedient minions and revived enforcers from across time and space. And of course, the physical benefits of Dai-Shocker are…quite extensive."

"You already have my interest," said Regina, "yet I wish to think about it, for a while. In the meantime, I shall assist you in the destruction of the Keyblade Wielders and their allies, save one; Sora, he is to suffer until his heart fractures. He is then to be given over to Xehanort and will only die after Xehanort is finished with him."

"Fine with me," said Brother Courtney.

"Are you finished yet?" The Lord of Illusions asked, "the scenario, while pleasing, grows tedious when I am not enjoying it." He then vanished the illusion of the beach.

"As a matter of fact," said Brother Courtney, "we've come to an agreement. The dear lady Regina, she is to be of great assistance to us."

"We shall see," said the woman in black.

"This is a rather…interesting turn of events," said Darom to Baraom and Bishium.

"Yes, interesting," said Baraom, "this newcomer may indeed be of great importance to us."

"And if she isn't," said Bishium, "then she will suffer for her transgressions."

* * *

**…The Bathhouse…**

"So, just what is Gorgom?" Sora asked as he watched the original Zeneba unroll several spell scrolls.

"They're a group of evil men and women whom abandoned their humanity for power," said Zeneba, "long ago, tens of thousands of years ago, they harnessed the power of a so-called supreme being, The Creation King, which bestowed them with extraordinary powers, among them being extreme longevity, as well as the means to create Mutants.

"Gorgom seeks to destroy human civilization and the extermination of the species. They have assassinated many prominent scientists, politicians, artists and free thinkers, all in order to halt and reverse human progress, slowly plunging humanity unto a new dark age, eventfully creating a world where they and their Mutants rule without contest.

"Fortunately for civilization and humanity, Gorgom has a weakness. Their dark powers are maintained by the life of their Creation King, which dies after 50,000 years. The leaders of Gorgom, the Three High Priests, they had a plan to raise up another Creation King by bringing forth two Century Kings; humans whom were born under exact conditions, the primary being their birth during a specific solar eclipse that comes once a century. Again, fortunately, they were defeated."

"How'd that happen?" Sora asked.

"One of the Century Kings rebelled before he was corrupted into a creature of pure evil," said Zeneba, "the two Century Kings, Black Sun and Shadow Moon, they were destined to fight each other to the death, with the victor to be crowned the new Creation King and starting a new 50,000 year cycle of darkness.

"Black Sun escaped the clutches of the Three High Priests before he could be fully corrupted. He received incredible power and used that power to fight back, eventually destroying The Three High Priests, Shadow Moon and the Creation King, ending the threat of Gorgom.

"But somehow, Gorgom has returned. That Mutant you and your friends faced was the proof."

"But what would Gorgom want with those crystals Yubaba have?" Sora asked.

"I have my theories," said Zeneba, "but they're only speculation. I believe that the two crystals are in fact King Stones, essential items for the raising of Century Kings."

"You mean they're going to try again?" Sora asked, "make another Creation King and launch a 50,000 year rein of darkness?" A look of defiance dawned on his face, "not while I have anything to say about it!"

"There's no doubting that you've got the stuff to stop them," said Zeneba, "but you've got to help Kairi first."

"Yeah, Kairi first," said Sora, "so, what do I have to do to get ready?"

"Just listen to what I have to tell you," said Zeneba, "this information may be the difference between the salvation of Kairi and your damnation."

At that Sora looked slightly nervous, "why do I feel that I've bitten off more than I can chew again?"

"You just need to know what you're getting into," said Zeneba, "but there's time enough for you to be properly informed. Now, the first thing you need to know about entering another person's mind is that you'll truly be entering another world, a world with a different set of rules than you're used to. The reality of the inner mind is both stable and unstable at the same time, depending on our emotions, thoughts and memories. The landscape of Kairi's inner mind may be associated with strong memories; happiness, sorrow, fear, love, hate and anger, all of which could turn her inner mind into either a paradise or a living hell. So my first bit of advice; expect the unexpected."

"I've been doing that for a long time," said Sora.

"Then you already know my second bit of advice; don't take anything for granted. True, what you will see in Kairi's inner mind will be her thoughts, memories and emotions, but they can still kill you if you let your guard down. The mind has its own natural defenses against intruders. True, there's magic both good and dark that can allow a mind to be controlled, but that kind of power is very subtle.

"Those who enter another mind in the manner you are about to, Sora, must take care not to attract attention. The mind can sense when someone is meddling and will fight back against the intrusion. So always take care of your actions. Attract too much attention and you'll find yourself fighting against Kairi's subconscious.

"Next, if you find yourself encountering an image of Kairi, do not believe that is really her. It could be a memory of herself, or it could be the embodiment of an emotion, or even an aspect of her personality. You might just be seeing a whole army of Kairi's each a fragment of the greater whole that makes Kairi who she is in mind and heart.

"These aspects of Kairi will either help or hinder you, depending on if it's a positive or negative aspect. Unfortunately, you won't know for sure who's side that aspect is on until it's almost too late."

"I'll try to find the positive ones first," said Sora, "but what about the cursed nightmare? How do I destroy that?"

"By fighting it, of course," said Zeneba, "you'll have all your powers and abilities at your disposal, if not more. Remember, you're mind will be journeying into Kairi, not your body, so you'll have your imagination as another weapon."

"Really?" Sora asked. Already, he was imagining himself facing the vague form of the cursed nightmare, summoning a large boulder to crush it, while Kairi rushed to embrace and kiss Sora.

"Or it could hinder you," said Zeneba, "remember about the mind sensing intrusions. Your imagination will be able to change the environment of Kairi's inner mind, but if you change too much, you'll be noticed that much sooner.

"Now, assuming you can navigate Kairi's inner mind without getting yourself killed, you'll come face to face with the cursed nightmare. This thing is intelligent, calculating, cunning and absolutely ruthless. It will do everything it can to destroy you, all so it can continue to torment Kairi. You, Sora, must use everything in your power to destroy this demonic abomination, destroy it before it destroys you and your one true love."

"Right, no pressure," said Sora

"Healing magic comes from the heart," said the first copy of Zeneba to Rapunzel and Chihiro, "emotions are the key to this power." The three of them were sitting in another room of the bathhouse, a tea service to one side and a warm fire was blazing in a pit in the middle of the room.

"I figured as much," said Rapunzel, "my….I was kidnapped as a baby by a horrible witch whom used my power to keep herself young and beautiful. She poisoned my mind with lies and half truths, making me believe that she was my mother and that the outside world was a dangerous place, that other people would hurt me in order to use my power to heal."

"Your hair," said Chihiro.

"It was so long I could use it like rope," said Rapunzel, "and when I sang a special song, it would glow." She then closed her eyes and began to sing.

_Flower gleam and glowLet your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mineHeal what has been hurt_

_Change the fate's design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine_

"Wow," said an impressed Chihiro, "that was beautiful. Ever consider being a pop idol?"

"No, being a full time musician was never really an interest for me," said Rapunzel, "anyway, I met Eugene, he showed me that there was nothing to be afraid of out in the world and he helped me gain the courage to defy my false mother. She struck back by inflicting a mortal wound on Eugene. I told her that I wouldn't resist her anymore if she would let me heal Eugene, and I would have kept my word, but then Eugene cut my hair before I could heal him. My false mother aged into dust and I nearly lost the man I loved. I had to see him dieing in my arms to admit that I was in love with Eugene."

"But then your power found another outlet," said Zeneba, "your tears. Your love for him allowed your power to flow out from your heart and save his life."

"But I haven't been able to use my power since," said Rapunzel, "I've tried, but I haven't been able to heal so much as a scratch."

"And I've never had any magic," said Chihiro, "yeah, I'm stronger in many ways since I first visited the spirit realm, but my skills are human skills, mortal skills. I don't have any magic. I'm sorry, granny, but I just don't."

"But you do, Chihiro," said Zeneba, "deny it all you want, but you've got it, locked away in your heart. I can give you the key, but you must be the one to turn it."

"But how?" Rapunzel asked, "what do we have to do?"

"Ah, that's the thing," said Zeneba, "magic comes in many forms. There are different varieties of witchcraft and wizardry, just as there's many styles of alchemy, sorcerery and dark magic. Healing magic is just as varied, for all magic depends on the individual. Your powers are indeed connected to your hearts, and since healing magic is positive magic, you must focus on positive emotions."

"Positive emotions?" Chihiro asked.

"Happiness and love," said Zeneba, "I'd go into it further, but young Kairi doesn't have that much time. Now, I'm going to instruct you in meditative exercises that will forge a deeper connection with your hearts."

"What do we have to do?" Rapunzel asked in a serious tone, while Chihiro looked on with serious attention.

"You can start by relaxing," said Zeneba, "you'll never get anywhere if you're all tense and anxious. So just sit back, take a few deep breaths and unwind."

With that, Chihiro and Rapunzel relaxed, breathing deeply and releasing their pent up tension.

"Good," said a smiling Zeneba, "now, close your eyes and focus on your happiest memories. Wizards and witches in some cultures use their happiest memories to invoke powerful protective magic. You'll be invoking the power to heal. Focus on the moments in your life when you felt truly happy. Focus on the best times with those you love. Focus on the joy, focus on the love."

"My fist kiss," said a grinning Rapunzel.

"Meeting Haku," said Chihiro.

"I'm sure you've got plenty more where that came from," said Zeneba, "now, imagine those memories as lights. See and feel the warm glow from those memories, see them illuminating the darkness."

"I see them!" said Rapunzel joyfully, "I see the lights! They're even more bright than the lanterns my real parents sent up to guide me home!"

"And they're so warm!" said Chihiro, "like being hugged by your mom!"

"Now, focus those lights into a single point," said Zeneba, "focus them into a light more brilliant and warm than anything else. Focus until they're so bright, so warm, you can barely stand it. But you will be able to, for these lights are yours and yours alone! They are your joy, your love, and nothing in all of creation can take them from you."

"I feel it!" said a happily smiling Chihiro, "I feel it," she then placed her hands over her heart, "I feel it here!"

"It's been here all along!" said Rapunzel as she placed her hands over her heart, "I've always had it! I just needed to find it again."

But then the two of them opened their eyes, their expressions going neutral for a second, "it's gone," said Chihiro, "I had it. I felt the magic, but…but I lost it."

"I could almost touch it," said Rapunzel, "but it was just out of reach."

"You will touch it soon," said a smiling Zeneba, "I'm astounded that you were able to get this far on your first try. Trust me, before you know it, you'll be healing like you've been practicing your entire lives."

"I just hope we'll be able to really heal in time to save Kairi," said Rapunzel.

"Same here," said Chihiro.

"You will," said Zeneba, "you will."

"Well?" Frankie asked as she and the other copy of Zeneba sat in another room of the bathhouse. They were at a table where Frankie's damaged arm lay upon. Also in the room was Andy and Aiden.

"Can you really fix her arm?" Andy asked.

"I'm still looking at it, young Monster," said Zeneba as she examined the arm, "give me a chance."

"Reconstructing damaged tissue is a very delicate process," said Aiden, "and unpredictable sometimes. Transmutation on wounds is forbidden on my world."

"Which is why I won't use Alchemy," said Zeneba. She then sighed and stood away from the table, "or anything else. I'm afraid I cannot fix this arm, not right away that is."

"What does that mean?" Frankie asked.

"Your arm is just like the rest of you," said Zeneba, "reanimated dead tissue. I mean no disrespect, young lady, you are a remarkable creature of extraordinary beauty and abilities. Unfortunately, your very nature is working against you. Your body is capable of healing itself with regular infusions of electricity, but your arm has extensive nerve damage. Any healing powers used on it would not fully repair that nerve damage. I'm sorry, but that's how it is."

"Then what can we do?" Frankie asked.

"I can place your arm in a magical stasis field," said Zeneba. She then did just that as she pointed her finger at the arm. A beam of blue magic hit the arm and surrounded it with a blue aura.

"That will prevent any further damage," said Zeneba, "while I'm sure your mother and father will be able to repair it once you're home."

"They can," said Frankie, "and before I forget," she then pulled out the generator device that Ghoulia made for her, "Andy, would you mind?"

"Not at all," said Andy. He then connected the alligator clips from the device to Frankie's neck bolts and began cranking the handle. Electricity began to flow into Frankie.

"I'm feeling voltagious already," said a smiling Frankie.

"Glad you're feeling better," said Andy, "but you can't go around with just one arm."

"I think I might have an idea," said Aiden, "did I ever tell you guys about Ed Elric, The Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Uh…no, I don't think you did," said Frankie, while Andy shook his head.

"Why don't you tell us," said Zeneba.

"It's a very long story," said Aiden, "short version; Ed and his brother Al, they tried something both crazy and stupid with Alchemy and it cost them big time. Al was stuck as a human soul inside a suit of armor, while Ed lost his right arm and left leg below the knee. But he made up for it with Automail; mechanical prosthetic limbs that are fully articulated and almost as functional as flesh and blood."

"A mechanical arm?" Frankie asked in a curious tone, "that sounds like something Robecca would suggest. Do you really think it would work?"

"I'll need enough scrap metal to make it," said Aiden, "but yeah, I can make Automail."

"How do you know you can?" Andy asked.

"It's one of the many mysterious alchemic formulae in my head that were stuck there by the powers that be," said Aiden, "I know, crazy, right? But it's there and it'll work."

"In that case," said Zeneba as she summoned a sizable amount of scrap metal, "we had better get started."

* * *

**…The Enemy Lair…**

"All is in place," said Darom, "our dark minions and Mutants are ready to strike."

"It's fantastic, that you kept the secret of a hidden passage into the bathhouse from the rest of us," said the woman in black.

"We had to be sure the passage would bypass all of Yubaba's defenses," said Baraom,

"The silly old witch has no idea that we're ready to storm her fortress and render her precious business asunder!" said Bishium as she laughed cruelly.

"Just remember what I told you about Sora and his companions," said Regina, "give them the chance and they will tear you apart."

"We'll remember," said Baraom, "just so long as you remember to keep your place."

"We know you have your own desires for power," said Bishium, "think not that we will allow you to swoop in and steal the prize form us, just as we are about to grasp it."

"Whatever are you talking about?" Regina asked innocently, "I am only seeking to help my old comrade."

"As if you ever cared for me!" snapped the woman in black.

"I treated you like an equal!" snapped Regina, "you and I, we would have shared in all the glory that was to come. But you wanted it all! I knew my limits, I still do. But you, you got greedy and wanted me out of the way."

"And you were in my way!" said the woman in black, "you and your patience and caution, you would have ruined everything!"

"I would have made us living gods!" Regina shouted, "but you had to stab me in the back!"

"Enough!" shouted Shadowcast. He then pointed his hands at the two arguing women as tendrils of fog shot out from his robes and hit both Regina and the woman in black. They both gasped in shock as life energy began flowing from them through the fog tendrils and into Shadowcast. He stopped after about three seconds, leaving Regina and the woman in black looking like they had just ran a marathon.

"Dissention, useless," said Shadowcast.

"I agree whole heartedly," said Brother Courtney. He then looked at the Three High Priests, "if these two bickering hens are being a nuisance, then I suggest that you proceed without them."

"No, we're alright," said Regina as she and the woman in black began to recover from the drain of their energies. "We won't allow our issues to come between the task at hand," she then glared at the woman in black, "isn't that right, old comrade? Are we clear?"

"Crystal," said the woman in black.

"Then let us begin," said Darom, "Let the attack begin! Now!"

* * *

**…Yubaba's bathhouse…**

Just then Sora and Zeneba heard an explosion from somewhere in the bathhouse.

"What was that?" Zeneba asked.

"Nothing good," said Sora as he stood up, "sorry, Zeneba, but the spell is going to have to wait." He then ran out of the room and into the hallway, just as another explosion went off.

He met up with Riku, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, "did you hear that?" Riku asked, just as a third explosion went off.

"Why can't we ever get a break!?" Tess exclaimed as they all summoned their Keyblades, while Naminé charged up a sphere of white magic.

"Life wouldn't be that much fun if it weren't easy," said Malcolm, "but we don't have to like it!"

They then reached one of the main corridors of the bathhouse, where many of the workers were running in confusion, terrified by the abrupt disruption of their daily life.

Sora and the others then reached the room where Rapunzel and Chihiro were with their copy of Zeneba.

"What's going on?" Chihiro asked as she, Rapunzel and Eugene reached the doorway.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," said Sora.

Just then Frankie, Andy, the other copy of Zeneba and Aiden, whom was carrying a partly complete mechanical arm for Frankie, reached Sora and the others. "what's happening?" Aiden asked.

"I don't know!" said Sora, "I…I don't know!"

"Then let's find out," said Frankie as she took the partly complete mechanical arm.

"You can't use it yet!" said Aiden as Andy helped fasten the arm to Frankie, "I haven't finished the outer chassis.

"It can still work, right?" Frankie asked, "I just have to act like it was my real arm, think that it's real and it will act real, right?"

"Well, yeah," said Aiden, "but…"

"And it will amplify my electrical output when I throw a punch or shoot a bolt of lightning?" Frankie asked as Andy made the final connections between the arm and her body.

"Yes," said Aiden, "but…"

"Then why wait?" Frankie asked. Andy stood back and Frankie concentrated. The metal arm began to move. She flexed it in multiple directions, testing out its dexterity and speed, "it's a little heavy and a little slow, but it'll do. Let's go, everyone!"

"I'm right behind you!" said Andy. With that the two Monsters rushed towards one of the stairwells.

"But it's not finished!" said an exasperated Aiden, "good gods! No one listens to me!"

"Sometimes you just get ignored," said Malcolm, "it's not your fault. Sometimes you just can't get rid of a bomb."

"What does that have to do with our current situation?" Aiden asked. Just then they all heard another explosion.

"Your answers will have to wait until later, young alchemist," said the real Zeneba as she joined her two copies, "Sora, you and your companions go. I fear that my sister's defenses have been breached by the enemy."

"Gorgom?" Sora asked. He then frowned with righteous fury, "they'll never get the crystals Yubaba's guarding!"

"Damn right!" said Chihiro.

"No!" said all three Zeneba's.

"What?" Chihiro asked.

"I'm sorry, Chihiro," said Zeneba, "but you cannot fight this battle. You and Rapunzel must stay where it is safe."

"But I can fight!" said Chihiro.

"And so can I!" said Rapunzel as she pulled out her frying pan, "I'll bash those Gorgom creeps in the head until they stop moving!"

"Uh…I can fight too," said Eugene, "but I would rather keep Rapunzel safe."

"And you will," said the second copy of Zeneba.

"I'm sorry, Rapunzel," said the first copy of Zeneba, "and I'm sorry too, Chihiro, "but the two of you are too important to risk your lives. You need to finish unlocking your powers."

"And Sora needs to stay safe until I finish the spell," said the original Zeneba, "and keep Kairi safe."

"Yeah, keep Kairi safe," said Aiden, "Sora, we'll be alright without you this time."

"And we'll bring back some Gorgom butts for you to kick later," said Tess.

"Just keep Kairi safe," said Riku.

"You got it," said Sora.

"And we'll stay safe," said Chihiro, "for Kairi."

"For Kairi," said Rapunzel, while Eugene nodded in agreement.

"Good luck!" said Sora.

Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé gave Sora the thumbs up and ran for the stairway.

"We'll finish working on the spell in Kairi's room," said the original Zeneba to Sora.

"While I'll help my other self help Chihiro and Rapunzel," said the second copy of Zeneba, while the first copy nodded in agreement.

"Hopefully," said the first copy, "we'll be finished in time for Kairi to wake up for the final battle."

"That'd be awesome," said Chihiro. She then looked at the original Zeneba, "hey, Granny? Whatever happened to No Face? Is he still living at your house?"

"He's been looking after my cottage since I began standing in for Yubaba," said Zeneba, "we correspond on a regular basis and I sneak away to see him whenever he starts to get lonely."

"That's good," said Chihiro, "friends shouldn't be lonely."

"And neither should Kairi," said Sora, "she'll be well soon and we'll never be apart again, I hope."

Riku and his group reached the ground floor of the bathhouse in time to hear another explosion. More and more bathhouse workers were streaming past them in a panic, franticly trying to get away from the detonations. A handful were hurt, but they were as a whole terrified.

"The blasts are coming from the basement!" said Malcolm.

"Gee, it must be obvious day at camp stupid!" said Toralei as she and Howleen caught up with our heroes, as well as Yusuke and Kuwabara. She then glared at the two humans, "and where have you Normie numbskulls been?"

"In the kitchen," said Kuwabara, he then held up a fried drumstick, only this piece of meat came from a very large chicken, "what? A guy needs to keep his strength up."

"You should see what they've got in the kitchen," said Yusuke to Sora, "I just had suckling pig and it was so good!"

"Suckling pig!?" exclaimed Howleen in a disgusted tone, "you're sick, you know that!?"

"What?" Yusuke asked, "it's just pork."

"Baby pork, you idiot!" exclaimed Howleen.

"Why are you so upset?" Toralei asked, "it's just meat. You're a werewolf, after all."

"Even werewolves have standards," said Howleen, "or at least my family does. Clawd, Clawdeen and the rest in our litter, we don't touch veal or any animal that's still young. That's just how we are."

They then heard another explosion.

"Can we talk about eating habits later!?" Tess shouted.

"Yeah, okay," said Kuwabara. He then wolfed down the last of the fried chicken, "let's go kick some Gorgom butt!"

They ran to the stairwell that would have lead them to the basement, only to have them stumble about from another explosion, then dodge several pieces of red hot shrapnel that came up the stairwell, followed by black smoke and the sound of multiple gunshots.

"Fall back!" Julia shouted, followed by more gunshots, "fall back! There's too many of them! Fall back!"

Up the stairwell came Mark, Steven, Felicia, Jana, Hezekiah, Frankie, Andy, with Julia bringing up the rear. All of them had multiple minor and moderate cuts and bruises, while Felicia was leaning on Mark's shoulder and Hezekiah's left arm hung limply and he leaned on his spear with his right hand for support. Jana's left eye was swollen shut while Andy had a black eye.

Also with them was a tall old man with six elongated arms. He was bald with a dark gray moustache, wore a gray shirt and pants and wore glasses. His hands had only two fingers and a thumb, while the arms could extend even longer. At his side was a young woman, about twenty with long black hair, brown eyes and wore a blue and green work shirt and trousers.

"Stand clear!" Julia shouted as she reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin and threw it down the stairwell. It exploded five seconds later.

"That explains the blasts we've been feeling," said Riku.

"But what's been happening?" Tess asked.

"They burst right into my workshop!" said the old man with six arms, "they ruined everything! The boilers, my stocks of herbs and salts, the pipe network, it's all ruined!"

"We never stood a chance," said the girl, "we would have been finished, if it weren't for our brave friends here."

"We were just touring the basement," said Felicia as Mark helped her sit down and she pulled up her right pants leg, revealing a broken ankle, "we wanted to see how the herbs and salts got to the baths, when the demons and Heartless came right out of the ground."

"The must have dug a tunnel," said Hezekiah as he leaned against the wall, checking his wounds that turned out to be a dislocated left shoulder and a broken right foot.

"The rest of us got down there in a flash," said Julia as she reloaded her pistols, "but there were just too many of them. I threw over six grenades at them and they kept coming! That last grenade collapsed the stairs, it should slow them down for a bit."

"It won't for long," said the old man, "those things came here in force and it'll take more than guns and bombs to stop them." He then looked at our heroes and allies, "oh, sorry, I'm Kamaji, the boiler man."

"And I'm his assistant, Aki," said the girl.

"Nice to meet you," said Malcolm.

Just then the rubble in the stairwell began to shift, then burst upwards, forcing our heroes and allies to jump back. They then saw massive amounts of demons and Heartless pour out of the stairwell, forcing our heroes and allies to fall even further.

Then from the stairwell came _Karasu _Mutant, _Kuma _Mutant, _Same _Mutant and _Tora _Mutant.

"Well, looks like Gorma's been busy," said Yusuke irately.

"Human infidel!" shouted _Kuma _Mutant, "your insolence shall be punished!"

"Oh, screw you!" shouted Toralei. She rushed at _Kuma _Mutant, only to be grabbed by _Tora _Mutant and thrown against the wall. She twisted in midair and jumped off of the wall, landing lightly on her feet, "good thing I'm a cat."

"And it will please me, little one," growled _Tora _Mutant, "to be your executioner!" He then bared his claws and rushed at Toralei. She bared her claws in as well and rushed at the tiger creature. The two of them meeting in the middle in a fury of fur, claws and fangs.

"Don't think you can have all the fun!" Felicia shouted after taping up her broken ankle and administered an anesthetic shot to dull the pain. She then stood up and threw several knives at the demons and Heartless, destroying several of the dark creatures.

"Same some for the rest of us!" Aiden shouted as he shot a blast of alchemic energy from his Keyblade at the dark creatures, transmuting the ground underneath the demons and Heartless into spikes, impaling and destroying several of them. Riku, Tess, Roxas and Naminé, along with Steven, Mark and Jana, rushed in to fight, while Naminé and Malcolm provided spell support.

"How's the arm, Frankie?" Aiden asked as he shot more alchemic blasts.

"It's good!" said Frankie as she used her metal arm to unleash massive amounts of electricity on the dark creatures, "Still a little heavy and slow, but I like it!"

"Just so long as you don't forget about your real arm!" Andy shouted as he grabbed a demon and tore it apart, then punched a Neo Shadow into oblivion.

"I still do!" said Frankie.

Jana, Howleen and Yusuke were fighting together, while Kuwabara found himself alongside Steven and Mark.

"This is definitely not my idea of fun!" Howleen shouted as she ripped apart a demon, then punched a Neo Shadow.

"You think we're enjoying this?" Jana asked as she stabbed a Neo Shadow, "I was supposed to be on assignment in Amsterdam!"

"What happened?" Yusuke asked after punching three Neo Shadows, then kicked a demon.

"It was supposed to be my first field assignment in The Bureau!" said Jana as she jabbed her elbow into the eye of a demon, "guarding a family of psychic spies who defected from a rouge state. Hezekiah was supposed to be in Mexico City, recovering a demonic artifact from an old church, when we were both drafted into going on this Nantucket Sleigh Ride."

"What the hell is a Nantucket Sleigh Ride?" Yusuke asked after smashing a demon against the wall.

"A crazy journey, more or less," said Jana.

"Makes sense to me!" said Kuwabara as he threw a demon into a group of Neo Shadows. He then found himself facing _Karasu _Mutant, "well, ain't this a kick in the head! I just finished eating the biggest fried chicken in my life, now I get to barbeque another big chicken!"

"I'm not a chicken!" cawed _Karasu _Mutant, "I'm a crow! And I'll eat you, human filth!" the crow creature then aimed its winged arms at Kuwabara and shot several razor-sharp feathers at him. Kuwabara dodged the feathers, only to be cut by several more feathers.

"Hey! Eat this!" shouted Steven as he prepared to rush at _Karasu _Mutant, only to be tackled by several demons, while Mark found himself surrounded by Neo Shadows.

"It's useless to resist!" said _Karasu _as he advanced on Kuwabara, "all those who fight Gorgom are condemned to death!"

"I'll condemn you!" shouted Kuwabara as he held out his right hand, "Spirit Sword!" his blade of spiritual energy ignited into existence and he rushed at _Karasu _Mutant. The crow creature shot more razor feathers, but Kuwabara blocked them with his Spirit Sword. He swung the blade at _Karasu _Mutant, whom blocked it with his winged arms as if they were shields.

Yusuke then faced _Same _Mutant, "hey! Fish face! Why don't you go crawling back to your mother!"

"Mutants have no mothers!" _Same _Mutant shouted, "Mutants need no mothers! All we need is Gorgom!" He then rushed at Yusuke, his maw full of teeth ready to rip Yusuke into bloody pieces.

"Oh, please," said an annoyed Yusuke as he pulled his right fist back. It glowed bright blue with spirit energy. He then thrust his fist forward, "Smile, you son of a bitch! SHOTGUN!" he shouted as a barrage of spirit energy bursts shot out, right into the gaping mouth of _Same _Mutant. The shark swallowed the whole barrage and collapsed to the floor. He tried to get back up but wound up bursting into blue flames. Within seconds the creature was reduced to ashes.

"Cool!" said Riku as he, Tess and Roxas dueled _Kuma _Mutant. Riku then dodged a claw swipe from the bear creature and struck back, but his Keyblade bounced off of the creature's shaggy hide.

_Karasu _Mutant took flight and was shooting more razor feathers down at Kuwabara, "you can't reach me with that fancy took pick!" cawed the crow creature as it rained more razor feathers down on Kuwabara, "after I'm done picking out your eyes from your carcass, I'll do the same thing to your family and girlfriend!"

"Now you've done it!" Kuwabara shouted irately, "it's one thing to threaten me, it's another to threaten my folks and sister, but I won't let you threaten Yukina! Spirit Sword! Get Longer!" his blade of spirit energy grew larger in length, shooting up and impaling _Karasu _Mutant, the crow creature giving a startled squawk as the blade of spirit energy cut through his vital organs.

Kuwabara swung his enlarged Spirit Sword around, smashing _Karasu _Mutant to the floor. He retracted his blade to its normal length. _Karasu _Mutant tried to get back up but he then burst into blue flames that reduced him to ashes in seconds.

"You're friends are dropping like flies!" Riku shouted to _Kuma _Mutant, "give up before we take you out!"

"You're all out of Mooks!" Julia shouted as she reloaded her pistols again, "it cost me half my ammo, but I got them!" Indeed, there weren't any more demons are Heartless in the area.

"So be it!" shouted _Kuma _Mutant, "we will withdraw, for now!"

"Yes, for now!" shouted _Tora _Mutant as he jumped away from Toralei. Both were scratched, bitten and bleeding, but Toralei was suffering from deeper wounds.

"Hey, you can't leave!" Toralei shouted, "we're just getting started!"

"Another time, child!" shouted _Tora _Mutant. He and _Kuma _Mutant jumped down into the ruined stairwell and vanished.

Steven pulled and Julia approached the hole with flashlights and illumined it, but there was no sign of the two Mutants.

"They're gone," said Julia as she stood back with a sigh of relief. She then grunted with annoyance, "what the hell was that all about?"

"That's what I want to know," said Yusuke as Roxas, Malcolm and Naminé helped the wounded Meta Humans and Monsters, "they bust in here, beat some of us up and then run away? What's up with that?"

"They were testing us," said Yubaba as she walked into the area.

"Yubaba," said Kamaji, "the real you, I suppose?"

"Kamaji," said Yubaba, "how nice to see you again after so long, and out of your man cave of a boiler room."

"Where the hell were you, witch!" Aki shouted, "Kamaji and I nearly got torn apart by those horrible things! And you…what were you doing!?"

"Take it easy, Aki," said Kamaji, "she's the boss, the real boss."

"I don't give a damn!" snapped Aki, "she's the boss, so she's responsible for the safety of her workers! Well?" she then glared at Yubaba, "where were you during this crisis?"

"I was attempting to shore up the bathhouse defenses, you silly little girl!" Yubaba shouted, "and just who are you, anyway?"

"She's…my friend," said Kamaji modestly.

"Well, well, well," said Yubaba in a mischievous tone, "old Kamaji, you sly old spider of a man."

"I am not his lover, if that's what you're implying!" snapped Aki, "I…I'm his assistant and friend, nothing more."

"Oh, but it's more than that," said Yubaba, "you love him, don't deny it." She then looked at Riku and the others, "and you lot! Don't think you're going to get away with this."

"Get away with what?" Riku asked.

"With the damages inflicted to my bathhouse," said Yubaba, "a ruined boiler room and basement, not to mention a blasted stairway and hallway."

"You got to be kidding me," said Felicia, "we defended your bathhouse against those things!"

"Collateral damage is to be expected when battling the darkness," said Hezekiah. He then looked at Toralei, "hey, want to be helpful? Grab my arm."

"What?" Toralei asked as she licked a cut on her hand.

"Grab my arm so I can pop my arm back into my shoulder," said Hezekiah, "just grab and I'll do the rest."

"Why me?" Toralei asked.

"Because I'm asking you, that's why," said Hezekiah, "now gram my arm already!"

Toralei hesitated for a second before cautiously taking hold of Hezekiah's left forearm.

"Make sure you're holding tight," said Hezekiah. After making sure that Toralei had a good grip, he jerked his body back. His arm popped back into its socket and he grunted in pain, then relaxed, "there, that's much better," he looked at Toralei, "thanks."

"Uh…you're welcome," said Toralei in an unsure tone.

"Look, Yubaba," said Julia, "if you're worried about compensation for the damages to the bathhouse, just write up a bill to The Bureau and I'll see that it gets paid."

At that Yubaba eyed Julia suspiciously, "you'd do that? Give your superiors a bill from me? And they'd pay it?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," said Steven.

"The Bureau makes it a high priority to clean up its own messes," said Felicia.

"I swear on the graves of my ancestors," said Julia as she raised her right hand, "if you write a bill for the damages, and any further damages incurred before the crisis is resolved, then I'll see to it that it is paid by The Bureau, in full."

"My dear, I do believe we have an understanding," said Yubaba as she smiled happily. She then looked at Kamaji and Aki, "we'll talk about your relationship later. But for now, I need to assess the damages and I'll need your help."

"I just hope the soot spirits are alright," said Aki, "they didn't do anything wrong, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"They'll be fine," said Kamaji, "they may be living soot, but they're tougher than they look." With that he, Aki and Yubaba went down the broken stairwell in a makeshift stepladder that Yuababa summoned.

"Glad that's taken care of," said Frankie. She then lost balance and nearly fell over. Andy caught her just in time.

"Are you alright?" Andy asked.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy," said Frankie in a weak tone as Andy helped her sit down, "and drained. I guess I didn't fully charge up earlier."

"You were charged up," said Andy, "the charger had a blinking light that said you were charged, at least I think that's what I think it meant."

"You used up more of your voltage than normal," said Aiden as he walked over and examined Frankie's metal arm, "I should have taken this into account. The arm amplified your electrical output but drained your reserves at an accelerate rate. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," said Frankie as Andy hooked up the charger to her bolts again, "I was in too much of a hurry to fight." Andy then began cranking the charger. Frankie sighed with relief as electricity poured into her body, "ah, that's refreshing."

Just then Riku swore irately.

"What?" Tess asked.

"We're idiots!" Riku shouted, "this whole thing was a distraction!"

"They were trying to get to Yubaba," said Aiden, "but they didn't."

"They were after something else," said Malcolm, "not just the crystals."

"But what?" Roxas asked.

"Not what…who," said Riku.

* * *

**…The Enemy Lair…**

"The attack failed!" The Lord of Illusions shouted at The Three High Priests, "your Mutants never even got close to Yubaba! Now the enemy knows that we found a way past the witch's defenses!"

"The attack was a partial success," said Baraom, "we proved to the enemy that we can get to them."

"And that we were able to seek out our secondary goal," said Darom.

"Notice that we're not all here?" Bishium asked.

"Hey, that's right," said The Lord of Illusions as he looked around, "where's Regina? And where's that cloaked lady?"

"Search me," said Shadowcast.

"I think I know," said Brother Courtney as he smiled wickedly.

* * *

**...Yubaba's Bathhouse...**

"It's gone quiet again," said Lin as she, Zeneba and Sora sat in the room where Kairi lay sleeping.

"Riku and the others must have driven back the enemy," said Sora. He then held Kairi's hand, "everything's okay now, Kairi." he said. Sora then blinked in surprise when he felt Kairi squeeze his hand slightly.

"I…I think she heard me," said Sora in a joyful tone.

"It's a good sign," said Zeneba, "her true memories of you are still there, untainted by the curse just yet. Our chances of success are slightly higher than I anticipated."

"What were our chances before?" Sora asked.

"Mmmm…slightly less than 50/50," said Zeneba, "now I'd say we're at…52/48."

"That's not much of an improvement," said Lin, "but that's just my opinion."

"It's still an improvement," said Sora, "the odds are in our favor now."

Just then Sora sensed something bad was about to happen. Two seconds later, there was a teleportation flash, followed by a loud 'BANG!' that disoriented Sora, Zeneba and Lin. The room was suddenly filled with red smoke and three of them began coughing. Sora fell to the floor and found that he couldn't move, while he could see that Zeneba and Lin were unconscious. Sora vainly registered that the smoke smelled like apples.

Sora then heard the door open as the smoke cleared from the room. Two individuals walked in and entered Sora's field of vision. He recognized one of them as Regina, but didn't know the other.

"Apple-scented knockout gas," said the woman in black, "impressive."

"Your praise is noted, old comrade," said Regina.

"I was impressed that your concoction didn't kill them," said the woman in black, "which is fortunate that we need Rapunzel alive," she then glared down at the sleeping form of Kairi, "unfortunately, that isn't Rapunzel."

"No," said Regina as she looked at Kairi, "no it is not, however," she then smiled wickedly, "she will make a fitting consolation prize."

Sora then fought his way through the paralyzing effect of the gas and tried to get up. He could only get to his knees, but he could speak. "Don't you touch her!" he shouted.

Regina turned around and saw Sora, her eyes widening with surprise, "Sora! I had thought you were deep in the land of slumber!"

"It appears your concoction isn't as effective as you believed, old comrade," said the woman in black.

"Be silent!" snapped Regina. She then smiled at Sora, "we appear to have a bit of an…issue here, Sora. I came here with my old comrade to abduct Rapunzel, but instead, I find myself in a position to resolve some unfinished business."

"So, he's the kid who's been giving you and yours so much trouble," said the woman in black.

"He is a rather irritating thorn in the side," said Regina. She then subtly cast an anti spying spell, "but he is more of an irritant to the likes of Maleficent and Xehanort. You see, Sora, I hate Maleficent. I am only working for her because she has knowledge that I need for my survival. Needless to say, I will soon have that knowledge for myself and when all is in place, I will eliminate Maleficent.

"As for Xehanort, he and his plans are proving to be too interesting for me to eliminate the old bastard, especially the plan involving you, Sora. You have the heart of Ventus inside you and while Xehanort has yet to find Ven's body, he wants you to suffer to the point where you are a broken spirit, just ripe to rip Ven's heart you of you, thrust it back into his body and use it to create that intriguing X-Blade Xehanort is so obsessed about."

"Xehanort's an idiot!" said Sora, "in more ways than one!"

"I agree," said Regina, "the old man's obsessions with Kingdom Hearts will destroy him, if not sooner than later. I, on the other hand, know where to leave well enough alone. The X-Blade and Kingdom Hearts are…interesting…but far too dangerous to get involved in. When the time is right, Xehanort will be put in his place. Once Maleficent and Xehanort are out of the way, I shall be the supreme Mistress of Evil in The Realms of Light. You can tell that fool of a king, Mickey Mouse, that when I have claimed what is mine, we can come to an…understanding.

"But for now, I am willing to indulge in the plan to make you suffer." Regina then cast a spell that levitated the sleeping Kairi.

"This one has suffered greatly from the Tracker Jacker sting and the cursed nightmare Maleficent put on her. In time that curse will destroy her, while it will amplify your own suffering."

"If you hurt Kairi!" shouted Sora as he tried to get up again, "I'll break you!"

"I'm sure you'll try," said Regina.

"You don't look like you'll try," said the woman in black, "from where I'm standing, you could barely stay awake, and I'm not teasing."

"Moving on," said Regina, "I have a proposition for you, Sora. I will forgo your torment for the time being under certain conditions. If you ever want to see Kairi again, alive that is, then you will bring Rapunzel to me and my old comrade."

"Oh, I see now," said the woman in black, "how utterly devious of you."

"Thank you," said Regina.

"What…do you want…with Rapunzel?" Sora asked as he began to get drowsy.

"It seems that the gas had a delayed effect on you," said Regina, "then I'll cut to the chase. I could care less what happens to Rapunzel, but my comrade here, and The Three High Priests of Gorgom, they need her."

"You're working…for Gorgom?" Sora asked.

"We have a mutual understanding," said Regina, "as to what Gorgom and my comrade want with Rapunzel, it's their business. But I suggest that you make it your business to convince Rapunzel to come to us willingly. I will contact you in a few hours, long enough for you to tell that strumpet of a princess to surrender. Fail and I'll make what Kairi's been through so far seem like a walk in the park."

"You…you!" said Sora as he began to lose balance, "I'll…"

"There's only one thing I wand you to do before to pass out, kido," said the woman in black, "I want you to give Rapunzel a message from me," she then bent and whispered something into Sora's ear.

"What was that all about?" Regina asked.

"A personal message," said the woman in black, "she and I have a rather…intimate, history. She'll understand the message." She then looked at Regina, "let's go."

"Until we meet again, Sora," said Regina, "enjoy the pain while it lasts." With that she, the woman in black and the still unconscious Kairi teleported out.

Ten seconds later, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Yusuke, Frankie and Julia burst into the room.

"Sora!" Riku shouted as he rushed to him, just as Sora passed out.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"How dare she!?" exclaimed Maleficent as she and the others looked at a static-filled screen on The Interocitor, "how dare that woman use an anti-spying spell on me!? I should never have given her the extra potions! I should have left her in that hospital ship to rot!"

"At leas she's on to something juicy," said Dio Brando, "force Sora to trade some other girl for Kairi, it's gonna tear him apart."

"Indeed, a fitting addition to his suffering," said Xehanort.

"I'd rather make him suffer myself," said Regina as she and Gaston started a game of Triple Triad.

"At least that maniac is out of the room," said Gaston, "I've just about had it with that lunatic."

"Where is old goggle head?" Dio Brando asked as he looked around, "and come to think of it, where is old angle back?"

* * *

**…The Highest Tower of Castle Oblivion…**

"Are you sure Xehanort and the others can't hear us?" Insano asked as he and Sephiroth walked out onto a balcony.

"Regina set up the wards that guarantee our privacy," said the one winged angel, "we can speak freely up here."

"Then what do you want?" Insano asked, "it's not like I have all day to sit around and stare at that idiot box of an Interocitor. I have work to do."

"This will be worth your time," said Sephiroth, "Regina and I are planning on deposing Maleficent and Xehanort."

"A mutiny?" Insano asked, "yes, yes, this is interesting. But what do I have to do with it?"

"Surly you know that Xehanort has no intention of allowing you to return to your native dimension," said Sephiroth, "that he plans on keeping you as his scientific slave forever."

"The thought had crossed my mind from time to time," said Insano, "rest assure, I have my own escape plan in the making. But you want to enlist my assistance in your upcoming mutiny, so what do you want of my demonic intelect?"

Sephiroth then took out from his pocket a vial of the vitalizing potion, "Regina sent this to me not too long ago. Maleficent doesn't know I have it," he handed it to Insano, "we want you to synthesize it for Regina. Only then can she be free from Maleficent."

"Intriguing," said Insano as he took the potion, "but how can you be sure I won't taddle to Maleficent or Xehanort?"

"Because it pleases you to shake things up," said Sephiroth, "I know that catering to a new order would be just the sort of thing your madness would find amusing."

"Am I really that predictable?" Insano asked. He then grinned madly, "well, I do enjoy chaos, and what would be more chaotic than to see the tables turned on Xehanort and Maleficent. I'll do it!" he then laughed like the lunatic he was.

* * *

**…Yubaba's Bathhouse…**

The next thing Sora knew, he was smelling something awful. He woke up with a start, realizing that Yubaba was standing over him with a bowl of a foul smelling potion.

"Better than smelling salts," said Yubaba, "there, feeling better?"

"No," said Sora glumly, "I'm not. Kairi's gone, again."

"That girl gets kidnapped more often than Princess Peach and Zelda combined," said Aiden.

"That's pushing it," said Roxas.

Sora then noticed that Chihiro, Rapunzel and Eugene were in the room.

"Just take it easy, Sora," said Chihiro, "we'll get Kairi back."

"Those Gorgom bastards did this," said Yusuke, "they're going to regret it. I think I'll start by ripping that bear creature's head off."

"It wasn't a Gorgom Mutant," said Sora, "it was Regina. She had someone else with her, some new villain."

"Regina," said Malcolm, "if she's involved, then so is Xehanort and Maleficent."

"I don't know about them," said Sora, "but Regina and the other, they're definitely with Gorgom on this." He then looked at Rapunzel, "they want to trade you for Kairi."

"Me?" Rapunzel asked, "why? What'd I ever do to Gorgom?"

"They'll have to go through me first!" said Eugene.

"No one is trading anyone!" said Yubaba, "not in my bathhouse that is. You want to trade hostages, do it outside."

"Sister!" exclaimed Zeneba, "show some humanity, for crying out loud!"

"We'll get Kairi back without trading anyone, Sora," said Riku.

"I hope so," said Sora, "or else, Kairi's finished. Oh, and that other woman, the one with Regina, she told me to tell Rapunzel something, that she'd know what it meant."

"What was it?" Rapunzel asked.

"The other woman," said Sora, "she told me to tell you, 'Mother Knows Best.'"

At that the color drained out of Rapunzel's face, a shocked look on her face while her hands began trembling.

"My goodness!" said Zeneba, "young lady, you look as if you've seen a ghost, and I mean that in a bad way."

"It's impossible," said Rapunzel, "she's dead. She's dead."

"Who's dead?" Chihiro asked.

"Someone whom we had hoped we would never see again," said Eugene.

* * *

**…The Enemy Lair…**

"Well?" Brother Courtney asked as Regina and the woman in black arrived with the unconscious Kairi.

"We didn't get Rapunzel," said Regina, "but Sora will bring her to us," she looked at Kairi, "he'll have no choice."

"You couldn't have grabbed Tess?" the Lord of Illusions asked, "I could have at least taken my revenge on her."

"If we ask for her, then Sora will bring Tess as well," said Regina.

"How can you be sure?" the woman in black asked. "That boy didn't strike me as very competent."

"He will do whatever we ask, comrade," said Regina, "he's in love, and love makes people more compliant, when you know how to use it."

"I know how to use love to my advantage," said the woman in black. She then lowered her hood, revealing a thin face with dark eyes, long curly black hair and an overall insidious aura about her once beautiful face that had begin to wear with age, "and enough of this 'old comrade' nonsense, Regina. Why don't you use my name?"

"Very well, Gothel," said Regina. She then laughed, "I swore I'd never say your name again, after you stabbed me in the back. Imagine, how improbable the two of us together again?"

"Not so improbable as you might think," said Gothel.

* * *

**…Somewhere Else…**

Alegra stood in a side alley in the middle of an alternate Tokyo with a man in his late 20's. He had short black hair and wore a gray jacket, blue jeans, black boots, black fingerless gloves and stood next to a motorcycle. This was Minami Kotaro, otherwise known as Kamen Rider Black.

"And that's the gist of it, Kotaro," said Alegra.

"Gorgom," said Minami Kotaro, "I thought they were finished when I destroyed Shadow Moon."

"They were in this world, in this timeline," said Alegra, "but Dai Shocker resurrected them from another timeline. The Three High Priests are active again. My research told me that they're seeking two new King Stones in order to raise up another pair of Centruy Kings."

"If they make one into another Creation King," said Kotaro, "then Gorgom will start another 50,000 years of darkness! I can't let them do that! Tell me what to do to get to this other world and I'll fight!"

"There's a few more things I need to tell you," said Alegra. She then informed him about Sora and the others, the plight of Kairi and a few other things. "I've a few more people I need to talk to before I start to pull things together. Wait for my signal, you'll know it when you see it."

"I'll be ready," said Kotaro, "a lot of good people died because of Gorgom. This time around, I'll stop them before their evil goes too far. And I'll help Sora save Kairi."

"I know," said Alegra, "and thank you. You truly are one of the greatest Kamen Riders." With that she vanished.

"That was strange," said Kotaro. He then looked at his motorcycle. It shimmered as a hologram deactivated, turning the black Harley Davison bike into a motorbike with a green grasshopper style. "Not as strange as we are, but we've seen stranger, right, Battle Hopper?"

The insect-like eyes on the bike flashed as it turned the front wheel, as if nodding its head, while the motor revved up.

**The end of chapter 5.**

_Next chapter finds our heroes struggling to figure out what to do, while Gothel revels her true plans. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	7. Chapter 6: Echo's Of The Past

**Before we get started, I'd like to respond to several reviewers whom are guests and or unable to receive replies to reviews. You've asked me about including Inuyasha, The Familiar of Zero and other anime with connections with magic and the spirit realm. The answer is no, partly because I didn't like those shows and partly because they just didn't fit in my plan for the story, so please stop asking for them, they won't be in this fic or any other I'll write. **

_Last time found Regina arriving in the lair of Gorgom where she accosted the woman in black. Parently they were comrades long ago, with the woman in black having betrayed Regina. Yet all apparently was forgiven as Regina joined forces with Gorgom and Dai-Shocker. Meanwhile, Yubaba and Zeneba informed Sora and the others on a plan to save Kairi. Sora would go inside Kairi's mind to destroy the cursed nightmare, while Rapunzel and Chihiro would use their healing powers to restore Kairi's damaged mind. Our heroes fending off and repelling an attack from Gorgom, only for Regina and the woman in black to sneek into the bathhouse and abduct Kairi, with the woman in black leaving Sora a diabolical message for Rapunzel. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 6: Echo's Of The Past**

"Just who is this crazy woman that you're so scared of?" Aiden asked Rapunzel as he worked on Frankie's temporary arm. Our heroes and allies had relocated to Yubaba's apartment, to a large room set up with a massive table used for important meetings with high paying customers.

"And what was with that message?" Malcolm asked, "'mother knows best.' Humph! Who does this evil bitch think she is?"

"She thinks she is Rapunzel's mother," said Eugene, "she's that crazy."

"She's also impossible!" said Rapunzel, "that woman is dead! I know she's dead!" She looked at Eugene, "she fell out of the tower and turned to dust! You were there!"

"I was half dead at the time," said Eugene, "yes, she was falling apart, last I saw her, but how do we know she really did die?"

"Just who is this woman you're so scared of?" Riku asked.

"And why is she working with Regina?" Sora asked. He looked at Rapunzel with pleading eyes, "they took Kairi and want to trade her for you. Please, tell me, who is this woman?"

At that Rapunzel looked like she didn't want to answer, but she did anyway, albeit reluctantly, "ever had a moment when you realize that everything that you've been told in your life by someone you loved was a lie?"

"Uh…no," said Sora.

"Not me," said Frankie.

"My parents lie to me all the time," said Mark.

"I never knew my parents," said Toralei smugly, "and I turned out alright."

"And I'm a Cram School genius," said Yusuke ironically. He looked at Rapunzel, "okay, so this woman lied to you, so what?"

"She did more than lie to me," said Rapunzel in a cold tone, "that woman, Gothel, she abducted me when I was a baby. She took me from my real mother and father, raised me as her own and manipulated me into believing that the outside world was a dark, dangerous place. She made me believe that my healing power would mark me as a desirable prize that every ruffian, every rogue, every vile human being, would covet. I believed it all when I was young, but as I got older, I grew more and more curious about the world outside our tower.

"Again and again I tried to convince my _'mother,'_" the way she said the word gave Sora and the others a sense that Rapunzel hated the woman with every fiber in her being, "I tired to convince her to let me go outside, to explore the world, despite the dangers. I wanted to know everything, but most of all, I wanted to see the rising lights that appeared on the night of my birthday every year for as long as I could remember.

"My 'mother' kept telling me that the lights were just stars and she always convinced me to stay in the tower, all the while she used my healing power to keep herself young. I never questioned our relationship until just before my 18th birthday, when I met Eugene. His arrival in the tower inspired me to defy my 'mother' and go outside, to explore the world and see the lights in person.

"I found out that the lights were lanterns. My parents, my real parents, the King and Queen of Corona, they started a tradition of lighting a lantern and sending it into the air on my birthday, so that I would see it and find my way home. As the years went by, the people of the kingdom lit lanterns of their own and I did see them.

"In the end I found out the truth; that Gothel took me from my crib to have my power all to herself, to keep herself young and beautiful, just as she used the golden flower that saved my real mother's life. That woman used me while making me so afraid of the outside world that I would never leave her."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Chihiro, "I get that the magical flower that started this whole mess, the woman who abducted you, she used the flower to stay young for centuries, I get that. But once you had the power, how long did she expect to keep using you? You're mortal. What did Gothel expect would happen after you died of old age? How did she think you would react when you woke up old and she was still young?"

"I don't know," said Rapunzel in an exasperated tone, "I was only trying to figure out how to convince her to let me go outside. For eighteen years she raised me as her own and for those eighteen years, I did love her and she loved me," at that Rapunzel frowned, "though she had a funny way of showing it sometimes."

"I'm starting to hate this Gothel," said Malcolm.

"I hated her guts when I found out the truth," said Rapunzel, "I tried to get away from her, but she stopped me and ambushed Eugene when he came back to rescue me."

"I should have watched my back," said Eugene, "but I was so worried about Rapunzel, I didn't even think that I was walking into a trap. The old witch, she stabbed me in the back and tried to drag Rapunzel away."

"I couldn't leave Eugene to die," said Rapunzel, "so I told Gothel that either she let me heal him and I'll go with her willingly, or I'll fight her every step of the way and try to escape at every chance I got. She allowed me to heal Eugene, but then," she then touched her short brown locks, "Eugene sacrificed himself to set me free."

"Cutting her hair took away the magic," said Eugene, "and I always liked brunets over blonds. Anyway, the old witch started to really show her age, she tripped and fell out the window and had crumbled into dust before she hit the ground."

"And she was dust!" said Rapunzel in an insisting tone, "after I healed Eugene, we checked outside. There was nothing left of Gothel but her cloak and dust."

"But if the woman who used you is gone," said Sora, "then who was that other woman with Regina?"

"I…I don't know," said Rapunzel, "Gothel was the only one who used the words 'mother knows best' with me. I don't know how anyone else could know that," she looked at Eugene, "I never even told you."

"I don't blame you," said Eugene, "if I grew up with that old hag as my mother, I don't know what I would do."

"I would have killed her when I figured out the truth," said Tess as she pulled out her razor, "or at least cut her lying tongue out."

"Why do you even have that thing?" Tara asked.

"Because it looks cool," said Tess as she pulled out one of her hairs and split it on the blade of the razor.

"Well, what are we going to do about Kairi?" Namine asked.

"Nothing for now," said Zeneba, "we have no idea where the enemy took her. The only thing that can be done for now is to wait until Regina and Gothel contact us, assuming that this is Gothel we're dealing with."

"Which means we could be waiting a while," said Felicia, "inhuman villains like Regina and Gothel, they'll keep us waiting for as long as they enjoy our anxiety over Kairi."

"Which means they'll play it out as long as possible," said Yubaba, "not if I know those two."

"You know Regina and Gothel?" Riku asked.

"We were at school together," said Yubaba. She looked at Zeneba, "you remember that scruffy looking girl and her diva of a friend?"

"Oh yeah," said Zeneba, "now I remember. Regina was always trying too hard, while Gothel was always making fun of everyone. It's a shame they turned out so rotten that Gothel stabbed Regina in the back. I'm serious, Gothel took a knife and tried to kill her best friend."

"Why'd she do that?" Julia asked.

"I honestly don't remember," said Zeneba, "they were both ambitious, so ambitious that they were more than willing to murder anyone who stood in their way."

"Was this before or after you and Yubaba did your exchange year at Hogwarts?" Tara asked.

"We met them before we went to Hogwarts," said Zeneba, "the betrayal happened years after we completed school. That was hundreds of years ago."

"It would seem that Regina found her own means of immortality," said Yubaba, "while Gothel found an alternate means of escaping death, or she is more lucky than even I knew."

"The strange thing is that I never even knew Gothel could use magic," said Rapunzel, "she never did any spells or mixed any potions in front of me."

"There's more to magic than spells and potions," said Malcolm.

"True," said Yubaba, "I believe I have a theory as to why Gothel never demonstrated her powers in front of you, Rapunzel. I lost contact with her nearly five hundred years ago. Just before that she had fallen ill. I never found for sure what illness she had contracted, but it was serious enough for her to use magic to save her life."

"We magic users live a long time," said Zeneba, "some longer than others, but we are not immortal."

"But here is my theory," said Yubaba, "Gothel used that magical flower to cure her illness and she became addictive to its healing power. But then things got complicated. The more she used the flower to stay young and beautiful, the more she needed it."

"Magic can become addictive if used in excess," said Zeneba, "if I am right about what my sister is implying, then Gothel used the flower so much, it began to affect her own magic. Her powers began to shorten the affects of the healing flower. It got so bad that she all but gave up her own magic in order to stay young."

"She's just like Lucas Vega," said Howleen, "a junkie. But instead of drugs, it's magic this time."

"So she was addicted to magic," said Yusuke. He then looked at Rapunzel, "but you told us that your fake mom turned to dust. So how can she be alive now?"

"Even Urameshi needed a body with a pulse in order to get his soul back in order," said Kuwabara

"Long story," said Yusuke, "so how can this magic junkie be alive now?"

"I intend to find that out as soon as she contacts us," said Yubaba.

Just then a small crystal sphere popped into the room, hovering above the room. The crystal then projected an image of both Regina and Gothel.

"Ah, good," said Regina, "you're all here. We can…talk turkey… as they say."

"You evil, evil woman!" Sora shouted, "give Kairi back!"

"Calm down, boy, you'll burst a blood vessel," said Gothel, "I doubt Kairi would appreciate it if you were to give yourself a stroke, though I admit that she could do better."

"Still making jokes," said an annoyed Yubaba, "I waited centuries to say this; you suck as a comedian!"

"I beg your pardon?" Gothel asked, "have we met?"

"You really don't remember meeting us before, do you?" Zeneba asked, "or has your addiction addled your memory?"

"And you, Regina," said Yubaba, "have you truly forgotten us?"

"Oh, I see," said Regina, "yes, I remember you two now. It has been a long, long time since magic school. Time hasn't been kind to either of you."

"Unlike you two peacocks," said Yubaba, "my sister and I aren't so vain as to violate the laws of magic to keep ourselves young."

"And we're not so ruthless as to murder innocent people in order to gain power," said Zeneba, "my sister, she may take pleasure in robbing innocents of their coin and their names, but she would never murder."

"I will ignore that, dear sister," said Yubaba. She then looked at Regina and Gothel, "so, what do you want?"

"Didn't Sora tell you our demands?" Regina asked, "Give us Rapunzel and we will return Kairi."

"Oh, and we'll need those two crystals that you have locked away, Yubaba," said Gothel, "my friends in the white cloaks have such desires for them, they were willing to tear your precious bathhouse apart to get them."

"So, you are working with Gorgom," said Yubaba, "and I thought you couldn't sink any lower."

"Excuse me?" Gothel asked.

"You heard me," said Yubaba, "first you stab Regina in the back. You two were the best of friends and you tried to murder her."

"I wouldn't exactly call what we had a friendship," said Regina, "we were comrades, nothing more."

"The two of you have still sunken to new depths of depravity," said Yubaba, "Gothel, you became so addictive to healing magic that you gave up your own powers. Then you kidnapped and brainwashed an innocent child in order to keep yourself young."

"And you, Regina!" said Zeneba, "don't think I haven't heard how insanely vain you became, that you imprisoned a little girl, just because she was prettier than you were."

"I'll thank you not to bring my gripe with Snow White into this, old woman!" snapped Regina, "and while we're bringing up faults, tell me, how many innocents have you trapped by stealing their names?"

"My sister's contracts have plenty of loopholes that can be used," said Zeneba, "her employees just need to look for them."

"And yet none of them ever read the fine print," said Yubaba as she summoned a cigarette and lit it with her finger.

"Are you still sucking on those filthy weeds!?" Regina exclaimed, "after five hundred years, you're still sucking down those coffin nails!"

"You've been smoking for five hundred years!?" exclaimed Aiden, "why haven't you got cancer yet!?"

"Witches don't get cancer," said Yubaba, she then inhaled deeply and blew the smoke out through her nostrils "everyone knows that."

"But we do get Spattergroit," said Tara, "nasty business, once the fungus spreads to your uvula."

"I'd still appreciate it if you didn't huff on those stink sticks," said Regina.

"I only have one a day," said an annoyed Yubaba, "and you can't smell them from wherever you are. Where are you, anyway?"

"As if we'd give our location away that easily," said Gothel, "putting aside each others' vices, you two are simply inferior to my comrade and I, plain and simple."

Just then Gothel was shoved aside and The Lord of Illusions entered the projection, "There you are, Tess!" exclaimed the vile trickster, "I wanted to see you before I take my revenge!"

"You son of a bitch!" exclaimed a shocked Tess, while Sora, Riku, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé looked equally startled, "what are you doing here!?"

"I told you I'm here to take my revenge!" said The Lord of Illusions, "you're going to pay for leaving me adrift in The Möbius Continuum!"

"The Puppeteer threw you into the primal darkness, you idiot!" Aiden shouted.

"Who is this bozo?" Toralei asked.

"Someone whom we hoped we'd never see again," said Riku, "what do you really want, you color-changing fruitcake!?"

"I keep telling you I want revenge!" exclaimed The Lord of Illusions, "who's the idiot now?" He was then shoved aside by Gothel.

"You are a very rude person, you know that?" Gothel asked. She then addressed our heroes and allies, "anyway, I'll make this simple so even you children can understand. Sora, you'll bring Rapunzel and the box containing the crystals to a place and time of our choosing and we'll give you Kairi. If you don't agree to this, then we'll start torturing Kairi into permanent madness and eventual death."

"I may be out of Tracker Jackers," said Regina, "but I can find another means of destroying her mind."

"There's no need for that," said Rapunzel, "I'll come, and I'll bring the crystals."

The room was suddenly filled with the shouts of our heroes and allies, exclaiming their disapproval.

"Don't Do It!"

"Are You Crazy?!"

"Are You Nuts!?"

"We'll Find Another Way!"

Rapunzel then shouted louder than everyone else, "you want Kairi to die? Well? Do you?"

"Of course we don't," said Eugene, "but neither do we want you to give yourself up."

"I'm afraid you have no choice," said Gothel, "or I can't even imagine what my comrade is going to do to poor, helpless, little Kairi."

"If only she'd wake up," said Regina, "but for some reason, she's in a dreamless state that I cannot end." She then glared at Yubaba, "you didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

"I did it," said Zeneba, "and know this, you cowardly, murdering fiend! For every harm you inflict on Kairi, I shall repay you ten fold!"

"Promises, promises," said Gothel in a nonchalant tone. She was then shoved aside again by The Lord of Illusions.

"Forget Rapunzel!" the trickster shouted, "I want Tess!"

"And I want to tear you to pieces, you lurden buggering fruitcake!" Tess shouted.

Gothel then shoved The Lord of Illusions back again, "the next time you interrupt me, you will lose something very important to you, something you will miss!" she then glared at Sora, "you know our demands, Sora. If you ever want to see Kairi alive again, then bring Rapunzel and the crystals to the center of the bridge in half an hour."

"Come alone," said Regina, "we will know otherwise. If you attempt any deception of any sort, Kairi dies instantly."

Gothel then summoned a knife, "it'd be my pleasure to cut her pretty little throat," she said as she smiled viciously.

"You have half an hour," said Regina. With that the image vanished, as did the crystal that projected it.

"Well, this sucks," said Frankie.

"What can we do?" Malcolm asked, "there has to be something we can do."

"Damn right there's something we can do!" said Kuwabara, "we can find these jackasses and kick them in the nuts!"

"We could do that," said Yubaba, "we could do that, and Kairi would be killed the moment we try."

"Well, we just can't give them the crystals and Rapunzel," said Eugene, "that maniac wants her dead."

"We don't know what she wants with me," said Rapunzel, "for all we know, she just wants me to call her 'mother' again."

"But you don't have your magic glowing healing hair anymore," said Eugene, "she kept you only because you could make her young."

"Whatever the reason, we can't let them hurt Kairi," said Sora, "but we can't let them have the crystals or Rapunzel."

"Damned if we do, damned if we don't," said Yusuke. He smiled, "maybe not, maybe not."

"What are you talking about?" Toralei asked.

"This," said Yusuke as he held up his watch.

"It's just a watch," said Steven.

"It's a Spirit Compass," said Yusuke, "it helps me track demons."

"How's that going to help save Kairi and keep both Rapunzel and the crystals safe?" Andy asked.

"It can't, not yet," said Yubaba as she walked up and examined the watch, "but a simple spell can modify it so it can track humans, or rather, a specific pair of humans."

"Sora and Rapunzel," said Julia, "can it really track them?"

"With the right spell," said Yubaba as she grabbed Yusuke's wrist.

"Hey!" Yusuke shouted as Yubaba raised his arm up, "watch it, old lady!"

"You watch your tongue, young man!" snapped Yubaba, "or I'll wash it out with really foul smelling soap. Now, about this watch," she then held her hand over it and cast a spell. The watch flashed bright blue once.

"And that's it," said Yubaba as she released Yusuke.

"That's it?" Yusuke asked.

"That's it," said Yubaba, "now, just tap the top right corner of the watch face and it will lock onto the life energies of Rapunzel and Sora."

"It's that simple?" Yusuke asked as he tapped the top right corner of the watch face. The compass needle then pointed at Rapunzel, while a hologram of a second compass needle appeared and pointed at Sora.

"Sweet!" said Yusuke, "all we got to do is let those enemy bozos take Sora and Rapunzel."

"And we'll track them down and kick the enemy in the nuts!" said Kuwabara as he pumped his fist in the air.

"Not just yet," said Yubaba, "there's still the matter of these," she then summoned the box that contained the crystals, "I won't give these up, not for Kairi, not for anyone!"

"And here I thought your sabbatical mellowed you out a bit, sister of mine," said an annoyed Zeneba.

"Regina will kill Kairi if we don't bring the crystals!" said Sora.

"Will you please calm down?" Yubaba asked, "you do know that interrupting people is rude. Now, I won't surrender the crystals," she then vanished the box, "but that doesn't mean that we have to tell Regina, Gothel and Gorgom."

"A substitution," said Malcolm, "exact in every detail."

"It won't work," said Howleen, "you heard those two maniacs. They'd know if we tried to fool them."

"You overestimate Regina and Gothel," said Yubaba, "they can be fooled, if done correctly."

"We'd have to be exact down to the most insignificant detail," said Zeneba, "the dimension, mass and chemical makeup of the box, not to mention the crystals, which you, dear sister, cannot remember the details of."

"I remember enough to make Regina and Gothel believe they're real," said Yubaba, "long enough for Sora to make sure Kairi is alright and for the inevitable rescue party to arrive."

"Then we kick them in the nuts?" Kuwabara asked.

"They're women, you dingbat!" Toralei shouted, "didn't you just make a big fuss about not fighting girls?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I suppose I did," said Kuwabara, "but I can still kick that Illusion guy in the nuts, right?"

"Just so long as I can scalp him," said Tess as she used the corner of her shirt to polish the blade of her razor, "I've got a bone to pick with that bastard."

"We'll sort out who gets to mutilate who later," said Aiden. He then made another adjustment to the metal arm, "there, that should do the trick," he and Andy then reattached it to Frankie's body.

"It feels much better," said Frankie as she moved her replacement arm about experimentally.

"Well, there's nothing we can do but wait for the fake box to be made," said Sora.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Felicia asked. She then looked at Rapunzel, "it's not too late to come up with something else."

"I'm open to suggestions," said Rapunzel, "but if this really is Gothel, then I've got to know for sure. And if it really is her, then I have to end it before that…that madwoman, before she hurts Kairi." She then looked at Eugene, "you can argue all you want, I'll still go."

"But what if you don't come back?" Eugene asked, "did that ever cross your mind?"

"It did," said Rapunzel, "but I'm going to do my best to come back, so don't worry."

"I'll still worry," said Eugene.

"I know," said Rapunzel. She and Eugene then embraced and kissed, "but it's going to be alright. I don't know what Gothel wants with me, but if she really wanted me dead, she would have tried to kill be already."

"She can still kill you," said Steven, "she's probably waiting until you're up close and personal, then she'll do you in."

"You just had to make me think about that, did you?" Rapunzel asked in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry," said Steven.

* * *

**…The Enemy Lair…**

"You don't really think Sora's going to just hand over Rapunzel, are you?" The Lord of Illusions asked Regina and Gothel.

"He'll do anything to keep Kairi safe," said Regina, "Maleficent had multiple opportunities to end Sora. She had Kairi at her mercy back at Hollow Bastion. All she had to do was threaten to cut Kairi's throat and force Sora to give up. But no, she had to break him by using the possessed Riku.

"Maleficent also had Kairi at her mercy when she had joined forces with Gideon Graves. She could have made Sora surrender but instead used Kairi as a living battery for that biot abomination, Kiraxi. Now the abomination's offspring are maturing. I shall enjoy using them as I see fit, after I put Maleficent in her place."

"You still have to obtain the girl," said Darom.

"And the two crystals," said Bishium.

"And just how are you going to get the box open?" Baraom asked, "Yubaba misplaced the key long ago."

"I will open the box once it is ours," said Regina, "Fear not, you shall have your new King Stones."

"How did you know that the crystals were King Stones!?" Darom demanded.

"I have my sources," said Regina as she smiled wickedly.

"You've been using that enchanted mirror of yours, haven't you?" Gothel asked.

"I lost the spirit of my original mirror," said Regina as she pulled out a small hand mirror, "I attempted to create an alternate mirror, but the spirit I summoned, while practical, turned out to be…unsatisfying in the long run. Once I've secured my position as the supreme overlord of darkness in The Realms of Light, I shall have the time to summon a suitable spirit for my new magic mirror."

Just then a Dark Corridor opened up and from it emerged Lady Tremaine, Gaston, Dio Brando and Maleficent. "So," said the mistress of all evil as she glared irately at Regina, "I hope you have an explanation."

"I…uh…that is," said Regina in an unsure tone.

"Oh, the jig is up," said a wickedly grinning Lord of Illusions, "you're in trouble now."

"I wouldn't be so hasty to jump to that conclusion, my friend," said Brother Courtney.

"You must think you have nerves of solid mithril to defy me!" Maleficent exclaimed at Regina, "how dare you block our viewings of the unfolding events!"

"I…what?" Regina asked in a slightly confused tone. She then gave Maleficent a disarming smile, "oh, you mean when I cast the anti-spying ward. I do apologize, I was jamming Yubaba. I apologize if I interfered in your enjoyment of the situation."

"You mean you didn't mean to block The Interocitor?" Dio Brando asked. He then grinned smugly, "it surely didn't look that way from our end."

"What are you truly up to?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"And it had better be good," said Gaston as he cracked his knuckles, "I haven't destroyed anything in a while."

"And I need to feed on the despair of innocent hearts," said Lady Tremaine.

"Oh, you delight in destruction and pandemonium?" Darom asked.

"And the suffering of the innocent?" Bishium asked.

"Well, yes," said Lady Tremaine, while Gaston nodded in agreement.

"In that case, you are welcome to our presence!" said Baraom, "Gorgom welcomes you with open arms!"

"And may I offer the hand of friendship on behalf of The Enigma Order," said Brother Courtney, "as well as that of Dai-Shocker."

"Dai-Shocker?" Maleficent asked. She then glared at Regina, "one matter at a time. You, you had better explain yourself!"

"It'd be my pleasure," said Regina, "I have manipulated Sora into surrendering two great prizes."

"Three, actually," said Shadowcast.

"Who or what are you?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"I'm complicated," said Shadowcast.

"I still haven't given up on making you say more than two words, dear," said Gothel.

"Keep dreaming," said Shadowcast.

"Come and see, Maleficent," said Regina. She then showed Maleficent to a raised platform, where Kairi lay unconscious.

"Sora will have no choice but to do as we say if he is to ever see Kairi alive again," said Regina.

"Impressive," said Maleficent. She then looked closer at Kairi, "a spell has been placed to prevent her from dreaming. We cannot have that, now can we?" She then cast another spell that removed the dream-blocker. Almost immediately, Kairi began thrashing around, a frightened look on her face.

"The curse nightmare is in effect once again," said Maleficent, "when Sora comes to claim his true love, she will awaken and see him as her nightmare come to life! She will then either flee from him and never stop running, or attack and never rest until Sora is destroyed!"

"But he will destroy her first, rather than let her live in suffering," said Regina. She then frowned, "if you're here than what is Xehanort doing?"

"He's in his laboratory," said Dio Brando, "no admittance to the rest of us. I think he's having a tantrum because Maleficent's interested in communicating with Zangyack."

"Space Empire Zangyack?" Brother Courtney asked. He then looked at Maleficent, "what could you possibly want with them?"

"The same as they want with me," said Maleficent, "now, do tell me more about Dai-Shocker."

"It'd be my pleasure," said Brother Courtney.

Regina then whispered to Gothel, "things are going better than I had hopped. With Maleficent and the others here, while Xehanort is having his tantrum, Sephiroth and Insano are free to work on synthesizing the potion. All that is needed is to wait for the right opportunity to bring Maleficent down."

"Just so long as your plans don't interfere with mine," said Gothel,

"The thought never crossed my mind, my old comrade," said Regina as she gave Gothel a disarming smile, yet already she was planning to do away with her former friend.

* * *

**…The Bridge outside The Bathhouse…**

"One minute to go," said Sora. He stood with Rapunzel in the middle of the red bridge, an exact replica of Yubaba's box in his hands. Yubaba and Zeneba had finished it just in time for Sora and Rapunzel to get into position before the deadline.

"Are you nervous?" Sora asked.

"Very," said Rapunzel, "but somehow, I just know that everything's going to be alright."

"Me too," said Sora, "Kairi and I have been through some tough scrapes before, so I just know that we'll get through this one too."

"And I'll do everything I can to help her once we get her back," said Rapunzel, "after I kick Gothel in the teeth. She still has to answer for what she did to me."

"Just be careful," said Sora, "these people are vicious."

But before Rapunzel could respond, time ran out and the two of them were teleported away.

* * *

**…The Bathhouse…Main Lobby…**

"They're gone," said Yubaba as she examined a crystal ball that showed the red bridge empty of Sora and Rapunzel.

"And I've got their signal," said Yusuke as the two needles of the Spirit Compass pointed to the west.

"Then let's get going!" said Riku, while Eugene, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Frankie, Andy, Howleen, Toralei, Tara, Felicia, Julia, Steven, Mark, Jana, Hezekiah, Yusuke and Kuwabara all nodded in agreement.

"Wait a second," said Aiden, "we can't all go."

"What do you mean we can't all go?" Kuwabara asked, "we know which way they are, so let's go kick some enemy nuts!"

"Before something happens to Rapunzel," said Eugene, "and Sora and Kairi, of course."

"We can't, we're too many," said Julia, "they'll see us all coming a mile away and that'll ruin everything!"

"Are you telling me we never picked a strike team?!" Howleen asked irately.

"We'd better do it quickly," said Tara, "the longer we dally, the greater the danger Sora, Kairi and Rapunzel will be in."

"Ain't that the truth," said Yusuke.

**The end of chapter 6.**

_Next chapter finds Sora and Rapunzel deep in the lair of Gorgom, where Gothel's true agenda will be revealed. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	8. Chapter 7: The Mad Mother's Manifesto

_Last time found our heroes reeling from Kairi's abduction, as well as the fact that one of their enemies is Gothel, the mad witch whom abducted Rapunzel when she was a baby. A plan was formed to trick the enemy into believing that our heroes have given in to their demands; Yusuke would use his Spirit Compass to track Sora and Rapunzel, while a fake box containing fake crystals would be in their possession. Once they were taken to the enemy base, a rescue team would set out to save Sora, Rapunzel and Kairi. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 7: The Mad Mother's Manifesto**

…**The Bathhouse…Main Lobby…**

"They're gone," said Yubaba as she examined a crystal ball that showed the red bridge empty of Sora and Rapunzel.

"And I've got their signal," said Yusuke as the two needles of the Spirit Compass pointed to the west.

"Then let's get going!" said Riku, while Eugene, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Frankie, Andy, Howleen, Toralei, Tara, Felicia, Julia, Steven, Mark, Jana, Hezekiah, Yusuke and Kuwabara all nodded in agreement.

"Wait a second," said Aiden, "we can't all go."

"What do you mean we can't all go?" Kuwabara asked, "we know which way they went, so let's go kick some enemy nuts!"

"Before something happens to Rapunzel," said Eugene, "and Sora and Kairi, of course."

"We can't, we're too many," said Julia, "they'll see us all coming a mile away and that'll ruin everything!"

"Are you telling me we never picked a strike team?!" Howleen asked irately.

"We'd better do it quickly," said Tara, "the longer we dally, the greater the danger Sora, Kairi and Rapunzel will be in."

"Ain't that the truth," said Yusuke. "So, who's going with me."

"What makes you decide to go?" Toralei asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yusuke asked as he held up his watch, "I've got the special compass thingy that'll help us find our friends. I've got to go."

With a flick of her hand that was nearly faster than the eye could follow, Toralei liberated Yusuke of his Spirit Compass, "you mean this thingy?" she asked in a smug tone as she dangled the watch in front of Yusuke.

"What the…?!" exclaimed Yusuke as he realized what happened.

"Good grief! That was fast!" said an impressed Felicia.

"I'd like to see you do that again," said Julia in a daring tone.

"I already have your wallet," said Toralei as she held up a billfold.

"What!?" exclaimed Julia. She then felt in her pockets, "when did you…how did you…!?"

"I didn't always walk the straight and narrow," said Toralei as she tossed Julia's wallet back, "I spent many years on the streets. I did what I had to do to survive, which makes me a natural choice for the rescue mission."

"Okay, that does it!" said Howleen irately, "Toralei, you've been acting really strange ever since the fight at The Crystal Palace and I believe it's time for some answers."

"I agree," said Frankie, "you are acting differently, Toralei."

"Different how?" Chihiro asked.

"She's not normally this civil to everyone," said Howleen.

"Gee, whatever gave you that impression?" Yusuke asked. He then tried to grab the watch out of Toralei's hand, "now paws off! I need that!"

"Sorry, it's mine now," said Toralei as she jerked the watch out of Yusuke's reach, then put it on her wrist, "hmmm…not really my style, but I'll keep it anyway," she then began fiddling with the dial on the watch, "now, how does it work?"

"Stop messing with it!" exclaimed Yusuke as he tried to grab the watch, but Toralei was too quick for him, "you're gonna break it!"

"So buy another one," said Toralei.

"It was given to me by Botan," said Yusuke.

"Who's that, your girlfriend?" Toralei asked in a sly tone.

"She's a really annoying Reaper who'll never stop nagging at me if I let my watch get broken!" said Yusuke, "now give it back or I'm taking it back!" He then balled up his fist to throw a punch.

"Don't even think about it, Urameshi!" exclaimed Kuwabara, "I won't let you fight a girl!"

"What?!" Yusuke shouted in a dumbfounded tone, "have you lost it, Kuwabara!? She took my Spirit Compass!"

"That's still no reason to fight a girl!" said Kuwabara defiantly, "even if she's not a nice girl. It just ain't right."

"My, what a chivalrous Normie you are," said Toralei. She then tensed as she suddenly found Tess's razor at her throat.

"We don't have time for this crap," said Tess irately as she used her free hand to take the watch off of Toralei's wrist, then tossed it to Yusuke, whom caught it and put it back on his wrist, then tossed Julia's wallet back to her. Tess then backed away from Toralei and put her razor in her pocket.

"Thanks," said Yusuke. He then glared at Toralei, "now, what is your freaking problem, lady!?"

"First you offer to help us back on our world," said Frankie, "then you volunteer to come with us to this world, then you want to go help save Sora, Rapunzel and Kairi, but now you're teasing one of our friends. Just what is going on with you, Toralei?"

"If you're going to mess with us," said Andy, "if you're just playing around and hinder us from stopping a great evil, then you might as well go home."

"I'd be easy for us to open a portal back to your world," said Riku, while Aiden, Malcolm and Tess nodded in agreement.

"So, unless you want to go back to Monster High in shame," said Howleen, "I suggest that you explain yourself."

At that Toralei looked like a deep emotional blow had been struck. Her expression betrayed two conflicting feelings raging in her mind and heart. First, she wanted to tell everyone the truth, but she was held back by something that was causing her pain. For a moment, it looked like she wanted to cry.

Frankie then realized all of this, "hey, it's okay, she said in a comforting tone, "I'm sorry if what we said hurt you, we're just worried, that's all."

"I…I do what to help," said Toralei, "and I can't go back to our world, not now anyway."

"Why?" Andy asked, "what's wrong?"

"I…I can't talk about it," said Toralei in an ambiguous tone. She did want to talk about it, yet her inner doubts were holding her back.

"Can we worry about this later?" Tess asked, "when our friends aren't in mortal danger?"

"She's right," said Riku, "we'll sort it out when Sora, Rapunzel and Kairi are back."

"Okay, we'll…we'll talk then," said Toralei, "but I'm still on the rescue team."

"Whatever," said an annoyed Yusuke, "now, who else is coming?"

"It'll have to be a few," said Mark, "no more than eight, and they'll have to be quick and stealthy so as not to alert the enemy."

"I'm pretty quiet when I have to be," said Steven.

"They'll see you coming ten miles away," said Julia, "where as I graduated from my sniper school at the top of my class."

"I can turn invisible," said Tess.

"Or we could use a broad range invisibility spell," said Malcolm, "I can cast it on at the most seven people, including myself."

"So it'll be you, me, Toralei, Julia and Tess so far," said Yusuke, "so who else?

Tess then looked at Riku, "I assume you're coming too?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," said Riku.

"So that's six," said Julia.

"Seven," said Mark.

"Eight," said Howleen, "that fancy watch of Yusuke's is cool, but I can still track our friends' scent."

"What about the rest of us?" Kuwabara asked.

"You'll be making as much noise as you can to draw the enemy's attention," said Riku.

"I can lead a diversionary team," said Aiden, "distract the enemy while you guys go in undetected."

"That's brilliant," said Andy, "count me in too. If I focus right, I can go gargantuan and still be in control."

"You can do that?" Frankie asked.

"I'd help if you were there to help me stay calm," said Andy.

"Then I'll be there to help," said Frankie as she held his hand, "all the way."

"Okay," said Tess, "it'll be me, Riku, Malcolm, Toralei, Mark, Julia, Howleen and Yusuke."

"While we'll be making so much ruckus they'll have no choice but to chase after us," said Chihiro.

"I'm afraid not, Chihiro," said Zeneba, "you've got to stay here at the bathhouse."

"What?" Chihiro asked, "I'm not staying! I've got to help save Kairi, Rapunzel and Sora."

"You already have an important part to play," said Zeneba, "you've got to be ready to help heal Kairi once Sora's destroyed the cursed nightmare. You've got to finish awakening your power."

"So does Rapunzel," said Chihiro.

"She already has what she needs to finish waking it up," said Zeneba as she eyed Eugene, "but there's still something missing with your power, Chihiro, something that you've got to find within yourself."

"Myself?" Chihiro asked, "but…"

"Save it, Sen," said Yubaba, "you're not going. And if you insist on being stubborn, I'll turn you into a _maneki-neko _statute until the rescuers get back."

"Uh…I'd rather not be a lucky cat stature," said Chihiro in an uncomfortable tone, "I'll stay."

"Then let's get going," said Tess, "we've wasted enough time as it is."

"Just hold on, Sora, Rapunzel, Kairi," said Riku, "we're coming."

* * *

With a flash, Sora and Rapunzel found themselves in an underground chamber. The teleportation left them disoriented for a few seconds; dizzy, unable to see clearly and slightly unbalanced.

"Okay, I really don't like that," said Rapunzel as she held out her hand, found the rock face and leaned against it to prevent herself from falling.

"I just want the world to stop spinning," said Sora as he bent down to allow more blood to flow into his head.

They then heard Regina speaking, "I do apologize for any discomfort you may be experiencing," said the former evil queen as she and Gothel walked up to Sora and Rapunzel. "Wouldn't want you to attempt anything foolish, now would we?"

"Hello, dearest Rapunzel," said Gothel in a mockingly sweet tone, "did you miss me?"

"Like I miss a headache," said Rapunzel as she and Sora regained their balance and glared at the two villains.

"We're here, Regina," said Sora, "so just cut to the chase already. Where's Kairi?"

"Where indeed?" Maleficent asked as she, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine, Gaston, The Lord of Illusions, Brother Courtney, Shadowcast and The Three High Priests, walked into the area.

"What are you doing here?" Sora asked.

"I'd like to know the same thing," said Regina as she glared at Maleficent, "this is my plan, Maleficent. If you interfere, I'll…"

"You are in no position to threaten me," said Maleficent, "I will do as I please, and it pleases me to watch Sora suffer."

"Just so long as you don't screw it up," said The Lord of Illusions irately.

"Oh, be reasonable, my friend," said Brother Courtney, "we're all friends here."

"Depends on your definition of friendship," said Rapunzel. She then glared at Gothel, "what do you want with me?"

"Is that all you have to say to the one who cared for you for eighteen years?" Gothel asked, "who bathed you, fed, you, clothed you, gave you everything you asked for? Who loved you?"

"You took me away from my real home!" exclaimed Rapunzel, "from my real mother and father! You poisoned my mind against the outside world and you used my power for your selfish desire to remain young! You never loved me! I was just a means to an end to you! You disgust me!"

"How dare you!?" exclaimed Gothel as she grabbed Rapunzel by the wrist, "I was more of a mother than that fool of a queen ever was!"

"You were never my mother!" snapped Rapunzel as she shook off Gothel's grip, "you're nothing but a thief and a coward!"

At that Bishium laughed cruelly, "it would seem that your attempt at reconciliation with the waif has failed."

"Oh, shut up!" said Gothel. She then glared at Rapunzel, "you always knew how to push my buttons, Rapunzel. I tried my best to raise you, to make you love me. I failed, but that's behind us."

"Which brings us to the matter at hand," said Regina.

"The box," said Darom, "give it to us."

"I want to see Kairi first!" said Sora as he tightened his grip on the box, "you'll never get your hands on this until I know for sure that Kairi's okay."

"You're in no position to bargain with us," said Bishium, "so be a good boy and give us the box."

"No!" said Sora as he summoned his Keyblade and held the box out with his free hands, "I want to see Kairi, and if I don't, I'll set this thing on fire!"

"That box is mostly gold," said Rapunzel, "if it melts, chances are the crystals will be ruined."

"I wouldn't take that risk, if I were in your shoes," said Brother Courtney to The Three High Priests.

"Neither I," said Shadowcast. The fog-like demon then walked up to Sora, "Follow."

"Follow you where?" Sora asked cautiously.

"To Kairi," said Shadowcast.

"Don't bother trying to talk to him," said Gothel, "he's a tightwad, him."

"Follow," Shadowcast said again.

"I don't like the looks of that guy," said Rapunzel to Sora, "he's not human."

"I figured as much," said Sora, "but something tells me that he's being sincere." He then looked at Shadowcast, "okay, I'll follow, but no tricks or say goodbye to the crystals!"

"Understood," said Shadowcast, "come, follow."

"Ah-ha!" exclaimed Gothel, "that's three words at a time!"

"No, it wasn't!" said Dio Brando, "that was two sentences."

"It was one sentence!" said Gothel.

"Can we not talk about grammar duels right now?" Regina asked. She then looked at Shadowcast, "go on."

"Follow," said Shadowcast to Sora and Rapunzel.

"Is this really a good idea?" Rapunzel asked Sora.

"No, but it's the best thing we've got right now," said Sora. He then looked at Shadowcast, "lead on."

He and Rapunzel then followed Shadowcast through the network of tunnels to a chamber where Kairi lay thrashing in her sleep on a raised platform.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted as he ran to her, dropping the box and vanishing the Keyblade as he reached the platform. "Kairi! Say something!"

"She cannot hear you, Sora!" said Maleficent as she and her fellow villains entered the room, while Darom picked the box up.

"You did this!" Sora shouted at Maleficent, "you put that cursed nightmare in her! You made her see myself and the others as horrible creatures!"

"And I would do it again in a minute," said Maleficent as she smiled viciously.

"And I thought you were despicable," said Rapunzel to Gothel. She then glared at Maleficent, "you're disgusting!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere," said Maleficent.

"And neither will delays," said Darom. He then handed the box to Gothel, "get it open, now."

"With pleasure," said Gothel as she took the box. She then pulled out a skeleton key out of her pocket and inserted it into the lock, "just a quarter turn to the left and," she turned the key, but it stopped before it could complete the turn.

"What?" Gothel asked as she tried to turn the key again, "what is this? Why won't it work?"

"Are you telling us that you cannot get the box open!?" Baraom shouted.

"I'm still working on it!" said Gothel, "just give me a second!" she then tried turning the key harder, but it broke in the lock. "Oh, damn."

"That does it!" shouted Bishium. She then shot laser beams from her eyes at Gothel, whom avoided them by twirling her cloak around and vanishing, appearing in another part of the chamber.

"Why are you attacking me!?" Gothel demanded, "I'm still trying to get the box open!" she then had to dodge a laser beam from Baraom's hands, then dodged a laser blast from Darom's mouth.

"You have failed us, Gothel!" Bishium shouted, "and Gorgom has no tolerance for failure!" she then shot more laser beams from her eyes, but Gothel dodged them again.

"I just need a little more time!" Gothel demanded, "I will have the box open! I will give you your new King Stones!"

At that the Three High Priests relented, "very well," said Baraom, "you may proceed."

"But be warned," said Bishium, "if you dally for too long, then your life shall be forfeit!"

"I figured as much," said Gothel. She then summoned a table and lock picking kit. She sat the box on the table and began working on the lock.

* * *

…**Aboveground…**

"Are you sure that compass is right?" Mark asked as he, Julia, Yusuke, Malcolm, Tess, Riku, Toralei and Howleen, reached a rocky outcropping in the middle of the forest.

"It's never failed me before," said Yusuke, "although, this is a new watch, and my old one blew up when it picked up a really strong demon, so who knows?"

"No, they're here," said Howleen, "I can smell Sora, Kairi and Rapunzel. They're really deep down there, but they're there."

"So how do we get down there?" Julia asked as she checked her guns.

"We did, of course," said Malcolm, "or rather, I did." He then cast a spell on the ground that began excavating the rock, albeit very quiet.

"This way they won't hear us coming," said Malcolm.

"Once we're close enough," said Riku, "we'll signal Aiden and the others to start the distraction."

"I just hope they make a big enough ruckus," said Mark.

"Oh, they'll make a big enough ruckus, alright," said Toralei, "or, at least Andy will. You saw how wild he got last time? Well, just wait till he goes full-on beast. Then you'll see something."

"I just hope he doesn't forget we're here and we get squished," said Tess.

* * *

…**The Enemy Lair…**

"How come you never used any magic in front of me?" Rapunzel asked.

"I had my reasons to keep my powers from you," said Gothel as she began picking the lock.

"You were so addicted to healing magic, you let your own magic atrophy so you could stay young longer," said Sora.

At that Gothel glared hatefully at Sora, "how did you know that!?"

"Yubaba and Zeneba," said Sora.

"Of course," said Gothel in a contemptuous tone, "those two, they'll get theirs soon enough." She then went back to work on the lock, "so, darling Rapunzel, aren't you curious as to how I'm still alive?"

"It crossed my mind," said Rapunzel.

"It was my new friends in Dai-Shocker," said Gothel, "they are a group of…ambitious men, women and creatures from across time and space, gathered together to dominate all of creation."

"More crazy villains with crazy plans," said Sora.

"Dai-Shocker is not composed of lunatics, you stupid boy," said Brother Courtney, "We are everywhere, on every world, in ever universe, in the past, present and future. Our plans are long-term, some longer than others, and we do not always succeed. But in the end, we shall be triumphant. In the end, Dai-Shocker shall rule all!"

"And then what?" Rapunzel asked.

At that Brother Courtney blinked in confusion, "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," said Rapunzel, "then what? What happens after you guys in Dai-Shocker take over all of creation? What will you do then? Will you create a dystopian society across time and space? Will you unleash unparallel chaos? Will you trigger a grand apocalypse that will wipe out everything? Well? What will you do?"

"What we will do is our business alone," said Brother Courtney, "I am merely a cog in the great machine, a single link in the great chain, a single element in the greater whole that is Dai-Shocker, and nothing, not you, not the Keyblade Wielders, not even those wretched Kamen Riders, no one will deter Dai-Shocker from our grand destiny of domination!"

"Sound's like load of hogwash to me," said Dio Brando to Gaston and Lady Tremaine.

"And you people have no sense of the bigger picture," said Brother Courtney, "you!" he pointed at Lady Tremaine and Gaston, "all you care about is satisfying your desires. Well, there's more to life than instant gratification."

"Well, we would care about more than our own needs," said an annoyed Lady Tremaine, "if we weren't doomed to die without satisfying those needs."

"And you will be doomed if you do not hold your tongue!" said Maleficent, "I am enjoying this unfolding drama."

"And it is about to take a more interesting twist," said Brother Courtney. He then looked at Gothel, "how's it going?"

"Not as well as I had hoped," said Gothel. She then looked at The Three High Priests, "but I'm still working on it, so be a little patience."

"Our patience grows thin, woman," said Darom.

"I know, I know," said Gothel.

"Well, while you're working on the box," said Brother Courtney, "you wouldn't mind if I revealed your true objective in this endeavor of ours, would you?"

"What is this now?" Regina asked. She then glared at Gothel, "what true objective?"

"Oh, it's just my ascension into godhood," said Gothel in a nonchalant tone, "nothing for you to concern yourself with, old comrade."

"Godhood?" Dio Brando asked, "now that's ambitious!"

"What are you talking about?" Rapunzel asked, "you're no goddess."

"Not yet, I'm not," said Gothel as she stood up from her work and gave Rapunzel a cold smile, "not yet. But with your 'assistance,' I shall become a living goddess."

"It's quite simple, actually," said Brother Courtney, "you see, my dear lady Rapunzel, when your dashing hero, Flynn Rider, or Eugene Fitzgerbert, when he cut your luscious golden locks and ended them as an outlet of your healing power, Gothel here began to show her age, and how.

"You know what happened next; your pet chameleon used your cut hair to trip Gothel out the window and she fell to her death. But what you believed to be her dusty remains was a side effect of a dimensional transport that Dai-Shocker used to rescue Gothel at the last second. It'd take too long to explain, but needless to say, Gothel survived her fall, was subjected to cellular reconstruction therapy and now is cured of her addiction to healing magic."

"My natural powers are still atrophied," said Gothel, "I'm barely a fraction of the witch I was before. But I still have my intellect, and I used that intellect to strike a bargain with Dai-Shocker after they rescued me. They saw my potential as an ally and gave me the chance to proved myself. I promised them a service and they promised one in return."

"And just what did you promise each other?" Rapunzel asked.

"I can guess what she promised to do," said Sora, "you're going to get the King Stones for Gorgom so they can make another Creation King."

"How did you know that!?" Baraom shouted, "answer me, boy!"

"Yubaba and Zeneba," said Sora.

"Those two are really starting to irk me," said Gothel, "they were meddling brats in school and now they're meddling old hags who chose profit over youth and beauty. Oh, I'm sorry, that's just Yubaba. Zeneba's just a fool, and now she's an old hag of a fool."

"I think they're wonderful," said Rapunzel defiantly, "if I had to be raised by witches, I'd let them be my foster mothers. Well, I don't know about Yubaba, but if I had to be taken care of for eighteen years, I'd pick Zeneba as by guardian."

"You won't be making many more choices, my dear," said Gothel, "not after you help me become a living goddess."

"How?" Rapunzel asked, "just how am I to help you? Whatever it is, I won't do it! I'll never do anything to help you!"

"Not even to save the life of your precious husband?" Gothel asked, "not even to save your friends, family and all those you care for? Not even to save your own life?"

"My friends and family would rather die than help you!" said Rapunzel as she glared hatefully at Gothel, "and so would I! You hear me, you monstrous woman!? I'd rather die!"

"Good," said Gothel as she smiled viciously, "that's all you have to do to help me, die."

"What?" both Rapunzel and Sora asked.

"Okay, you've lost me, old comrade," said Regina.

"It's quite simple," said Gothel, "once I've helped Gorgom raise up their new Creation King, Dai-Shocker shall provide me with the means of performing a dark magic ritual, one that shall allow me to ascend to godhood. They have everything needed for the ritual except for one key component, one item that is the linchpin for the ritual. Without this one item, the ritual simply will not work."

"And…what is this item?" Rapunzel asked nervously.

"Your heart, my dear," said Gothel as she gave Rapunzel a smile that chilled her to the bone, "I'm going to cut out your heart and it will make me a living goddess."

"You're crazy!" exclaimed Sora, "you can't cut out Rapunzel's heart!"

"I can and I will," said Gothel, "you see, Rapunzel here is a Princess of Heart whom hasn't had her powers fully awakened. Her healing powers, deprived of the outlet of her hair, lay dormant in her heart. All that raw, untapped magic is exactly what I need to endow me with eternal life and eternal youth, among other powers associated with gods."

"I must admit," said Maleficent, "you have a very…malicious plan."

"You're welcome to try it yourself," said Gothel, "once I'm through with the ritual, I would gladly give you the instructions and means, for a price. All you'll need to do then is find and cut out the heart of a dormant Princess of Heart."

"I have no need to become a god," said Maleficent, "I am already invincible."

"How many lives do you have left again?" Sora asked, "two? Three? I defeated you before, I can do it again and again until you're finished for good!"

"You'll never outlive me, boy!" said Maleficent, "and as for godhood, I choose not to become one."

"Even gods can be killed if you know how," said Regina.

"But I shall become a goddess unlike any other!" said Gothel, "for I shall become The One!"

"The one what?" Sora asked.

"The One, you stupid boy!" Gothel shouted, "I shall become the supreme God of all!"

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Rapunzel, "you…you can't become God. God is already God!"

"Not for much longer," said Gothel in an insidious tone, "I shall succeed where Lucifer failed! I shall become the most high of highs! I shall become the supreme being whom all shall worship! I shall become Goddess!"

"You're crazy!" Rapunzel shouted, "and this has gone on long enough!" she then addressed Regina, The Three High Priests and the other villains, "you've got me and the crystals, now let Sora and Kairi go!"

"No! I won't leave you alone with these jerks!" Sora shouted, "Kairi wouldn't leave you."

"Kairi's in no condition to do anything," said Rapunzel, "she can't be helped if she stays here. Get her back to Yubaba and Zeneba."

"I won't leave you to have your heart cut out by this crazy woman!" said Sora as he pointed an accusing finger at Gothel.

"Well, I won't let you stay," said Rapunzel, "now take Kairi and get out of here!"

"No!" said Sora irately.

"Breaks your heart," said Dio Brando to Lady Tremaine and Gaston, "when friendship is ruined by petty arguments."

"We're not ruining our friendship, you bloodsucking ape!" Rapunzel shouted.

"Bloodsucking ape?" Dio Brando asked in a confused and impressed tone, "I've never been called that before. How interesting."

"I wish to clarify a point," said Maleficent. She then looked at Gothel, "when you say you shall cast down The One and take His place, what makes you believe you can?"

"I know I can because I shall make it so!" said Gothel, "my friends in Dai-Shocker assure me that the ritual shall grant me more power than even you, Maleficent, can comprehend."

"Then what shall you do with your new divine state?" Maleficent asked.

"If you're concerned that I shall use my omnipotence to harm you," said Gothel, "then fear not. So long as you pay homage to me, I shall let you do as you wish," she then addressed everyone in the room, "all of you shall have unlimited freedom, so long as you pay homage to me."

"And you're allowing this?" Regina asked Brother Courtney, "you're letting this…creature…become the supreme overlord of time and space?"

"We already have an understanding," said Brother Courtney, "our previous Great Leaders have proven to be rather…unsatisfying, so now we shall have a deity whom shall lead us to unlimited glory! Gothel shall become the Dai-Shocker Goddess!"

"Now I know you're crazy!" said Sora, "I just had to be sure! You all have to be stopped!"

"And just how are you going to do that, Sora?" Regina asked, "well? Just how are you going to stop us?"

Just then the whole chamber shook violently. Everyone was jostled about and nearly fell over as dust and pieces of rock fell from the ceiling.

"Earthquake?" Dio Brando asked as the shaking stopped, only for the chamber to shake again.

"This isn't an earthquake!" Brother Courtney shouted as the chamber shook a third time.

Regina then summoned a large crystal ball that showed Andy, in his beast form, only hundred of feet tall now, stomping around the woods above the chamber.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Gaston exclaimed.

"What a monstrous monster!" Lady Tremaine shouted.

"That thing nearly destroyed one of our Mutants earlier," said Baraom.

"It's much bigger now," said Gaston, "I've hunted all sorts of creatures, but nothing that big."

"Then let this be the first of its kind that you destroy," said Maleficent.

"It's not alone," said The Lord of Illusions. The crystal ball then showed Aiden, Frankie, Jana and the other heroes, walking with Andy but keeping clear of his footsteps.

"They're attempting a rescue," said Regina as she looked at the view of our heroes. She then looked at Sora and smiled viciously, "did you honestly think this pathetic display of bravery would work?"

"I didn't know they were going to do this," said Sora. He then grinned happily, "but I'm glad they did. You guys are so finished!"

"We shall see," said Darom, "we shall see."

Just then five new Mutants walked in. The first was a black-feathered vulture that had wings on its back, clawed hands and a beak that could tear through iron. The second Mutant was a blue and green octopus creature with tentacles for hands and six more tentacles growing out of its back, a bulbous head and pale glowing eyes.

The third Mutant was a red, green and purple frog creature with webbed hands and feet that ended in poisoned claws, as was its skin glistening with poison, while its mouth was enormous, wide enough to swallow a man. The fourth Mutant was a red ant creature that had powerful pincers for a mouth and antennae that could shoot bolts of lightning.

The fifth Mutant was the tallest of the group; an enormous wolf creature with a black and gray pelt that rippled with muscles, its limbs ended in claws and its jaws were full of yellow teeth that could rip a man apart in seconds.

"_Hagetake _Mutant," said Baraom to the vulture creature, "_Tako _Mutant," he said to the octopus creature, "_Kaeru _Mutant," he said to the frog creature, "_Ari _Mutant," he said to the ant creature, "_Ookami _Mutant," he said to the wolf creature."

The five Mutants bowed and then stood with _Tora _Mutant and _Kuma _Mutant.

"As you can see," said Darom to Sora and Rapunzel, "it is your friends whom are finished."

"Go destroy the infidels!" Bishium said to the Mutants.

"We obey!" said the seven Mutants, whom teleported out.

"You think a bunch of science lab mistakes are going to destroy my friends!?" Sora shouted, "you're wrong!"

"Oh no, Sora, it is you who are wrong," said Maleficent.

* * *

"Here they come!" Steven shouted as he and the others saw the seven Mutants, along with a mass of Heartless and lesser demons, rushing towards them.

"I think this is the worst part of being a hero," said Hezekiah as he and the others readied for the coming fight.

"Why?" Jana asked as she unsheathed her knife. "I've been having a ball this whole time."

"The actual battle isn't the problem," said Hezekiah, "it's the aftermath that I hate!"

Further banter was made impossible as the rush of dark creatures reached the group and the fight began.

"I think we got their attention!" Aiden shouted as he stabbed a Neo Shadow with his Keyblade, then transmuted the ground under a group of demons into spikes, impaling them.

"Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" Felicia asked as she stabbed three demons, then threw a knife at a fourth.

"Just be glad that they don't know about Riku and the others!" said Roxas as he and Naminé fought back to back, with him hacking, slashing and stabbing with his Keyblades, while she shot spheres of white magic.

Frankie was zapping with her electricity, while Andy was wrecking the most havoc on the demons and Heartless, stomping them into oblivion and crushing them with his hands.

"We are so not getting paid enough for this!" Steven shouted as he bashed two Neo Shadows with his staff, then smacked a demon in the groin.

"We'll petition Patricia for a raise when we get home!" Felicia shouted as she stabbed a demon in the eye, only to have another gouge a deep cut in her shoulder. She then kicked that demon in the head and stabbed another, "assuming we do get home!"

Aiden then found himself facing _Hagetake _Mutant. He ducked as the creature took flight and tried to claw at his face. The vulture creature then turned around and tried to gouge at Aiden again, only to be smacked in the tail feathers by Aiden's Keyblade. The creature let out an indignant squawk as it fell to the ground.

"You really ought to take better flying lessons," said Aiden as _Hagetake _Mutant got back up.

The vulture creature responded by shooting laser beams out of its eyes. Aiden blocked them with his Keyblade, then transmuted the air around _Hagetake _Mutant into a gaseous acid. The creature shrugged off the corrosive vapors and rushed at Aiden.

"_Protego Maximum!" _Tara shouted as she shot a spell at Aiden, putting a shield around him. The vulture creature hit the shield and bounced off.

"Thanks!" Aiden shouted as he moved in and used his Keyblade to cut off the head off the vulture creature. Both the head and the body were engulfed in flames and were reduced to ashes within seconds.

"Any time," said Tara, only for her to duck a diving attack from a demon.

Meanwhile, Kuwabara and Steven found themselves fighting back to back, with Steven smashing away with his staff and Kuwabara swinging away with his Spirit Sword.

"Hey, while we're here," said Kuwabara as he stabbed a demon, then sliced up a Neo Shadow, "mind if I ask a question?"

"You want to strike up a conversation now?" Steven asked as he bashed a demon in the head. "Well, why not? What do you want to ask?"

"You Meta Humans are kinda like evolved humans, right?" Kuwabara asked.

"That's the idea," said Steven, "but I ain't no scientist. I'm just a good old boy from the boondocks who's lucky enough to be pretty damn near indestructible." He then flipped a demon into the air, then smashed it in the torso as it came back down, then kicked another demon in the head.

"Well, I was wondering," said Kuwabara as he stabbed a Neo Shadow, then punched another, "any chance you Bureau Guys can help me get stronger?"

"Aren't you strong enough as it is?" Steven asked.

"Not if I want to be stronger than Urameshi," said Kuwabara, "we've been rivals for a long time and he's always been able to beat me! Just once I want to have the edge on that guy!"

"You and Yusuke sound like another pair of rivals we know!" Aiden shouted as he, Tara and Roxas, provided cover for Naminé as she cast a healing spell on Felicia.

Just then _Tako _Mutant wrapped its tentacles around Hezekiah and threatened to squeeze the life out of him. Hezekiah did his best to free himself from the clutching tentacles, but its grip was too strong.

Jana furiously stabbed the octopus creature with her knife, but it wouldn't let go.

"Hold still!" Frankie shouted as she rushed over. She then zapped _Tako _Mutant, shocking both the octopus creature and Hezekiah. The tall Meta Human was only moderately hurt, but the aquatic Mutant was severely electrocuted. It released Hezekiah and backed off.

Hezekiah then stabbed the octopus creature in the torso with his spear and jumped away. "Zap it again!" he shouted.

"Got it!" Frankie shouted. She then sent another bolt of electricity at _Tako _Mutant. The bolt hit the spear and was conducted into the creature's body and it was shocked on the inside. The creature then burst into flame. Hezekiah then grabbed his spear just before the Mutant was reduced to ashes.

"Great shot!" said Hezekiah.

"Any time," said a smiling Frankie. But then she gasped in shock as an enormous tongue grabbed her by the waist and jerked her backwards. Before Frankie realized what was happening, she was swallowed whole by _Kaeru _Mutant, the frog creature belching loudly and it smacked its slimy lips.

"Frankie!" shouted Jana as she ran at the frog creature. It backhanded Jana across the face, knocking her to the ground. Jana began twitching in pain as a venomous purple stain spread across her face.

"She's been poisoned!" Naminé shouted. She started towards Jana, only to have her way blocked by _Tora _Mutant and _Kuma _Mutant.

"You're not going anywhere, human filth!" _Kuma _Mutant bellowed.

"You're wrong about one thing," said Naminé, "I'm not human!" she then cast a spell that produced a blinding flash, right in the face of the two creatures. _Tora _Mutant and _Kuma _Mutant stumbled about, clutching at their eyes.

Naminé then reached Jana, whom was beginning to swell up all over.

"Can you heal her?" Felicia asked as she and Roxas provided cover against the demons and Heartless.

"I'll try," said Naminé as she cast a healing spell on Jana. It stopped her twitching and began reducing the swelling, but Jana was unconscious.

"It's the best I can do for now," said Naminé, "we have to get her back to the bathhouse."

"What about Frankie?" Aiden asked as he, Tara, Steven and Kuwabara ran over. There were only a handful of demons and Heartless left in the area, while _Ari _Mutant, _Ookami _Mutant, _Tora _Mutant and _Kuma _Mutant, had regrouped to the other side of the area.

"She's still in that frog thing!" Steven shouted.

Everyone then heard Andy roar in fury as he tried to grab _Kaeru _Mutant, but the frog creature was hopping around so fast, Andy couldn't keep up.

"I'll stop it!" Kuwabara shouted, "Spirit Sword! Get Longer!" his blade of spiritual energy then lengthened long enough to reach and cut the frog creature across the leg, causing it to trip.

Andy then grabbed _Kaeru _Mutant, only to jerk his hand back in pain, his fur turning bright orange and his hand swelling up. He then began shrinking down to his normal size and form, his hand still orange and swollen.

"Great, even giant Monsters aren't immune," said Aiden, while Felicia and Hezekiah ran and grabbed Andy, dragging him over to Naminé, whom stopped the poison in his hand.

"How are we going to save Frankie?" Naminé shouted.

As if in answer, _Kaeru _Mutant began convulsing as electricity began crackling all over its body. It then began swelling up, then exploded. Frankie stood, gasping for breath and covered in slime as the remains of _Kaeru _Mutant burned to ashes.

"Like I told the kraken in the deep end of the pool," said Frankie as she caught her breath, "don't mess with a Monster with volts."

"Are you alright?" Andy asked as he shoved Naminé away from him. She had reduced the swelling in his hand, but it was still orange.

"I feel fine," said Frankie as she tried wiping the slime off of her, "but I'm gonna need about a dozen baths before this is over."

"Well, there is a bathhouse nearby," said Andy. He then winced in pain and clutched his hand.

"Oh my ghoul!" said Frankie, "you're hurt!"

"I'll be alright," said Andy as he endured the pain.

"I wish I felt the same about the rest of us," said Hezekiah. "those four Mutants, they're still looking for a fight."

Indeed, _Kuma _Mutant, _Tora _Mutant, _Ookami _Mutant and _Ari _Mutant were ready to keep fighting. But then they all vanished.

"What the…what happened?" Felicia asked as she retrieved her throwing knives, "why'd they leave? We were just getting started."

"I've got a feeling that the jig is up," said Steven.

* * *

…**The Enemy Lair…a few minutes ago…**

"Ha! That's two Mutants destroyed!" Sora shouted as he, Rapunzel and the villains watched the battle aboveground, having just seen the destruction of _Hagetake _Mutant and _Tako _Mutant.

"There's still plenty more!" said Gothel irately.

"But the others aren't doing so well," said Gaston.

"It seems that your creatures aren't as powerful as you believe," said Lady Tremaine to the Three High Priests.

"Infidel swine!" snapped Bishium, "our Mutants are superior to any human, despite their abilities!"

On the viewer, everyone saw Frankie being swallowed by _Kaeru _Mutant, then Jana being poisoned.

"Well, isn't that a twist," said Regina. She then laughed as Andy grabbed Kaeru Mutant and was poisoned in turn.

"And I had such hopes that _Ookami _Mutant would fight the big freak," said Darom, "that one was engineered to become a giant Mutant."

"We'll use it to demolish the bathhouse," said Regina.

"No!" said Gaston, "I'll do it."

"We'll worry about who destroys what when the pathetic heroes are all finished," said Baraom.

Just then they all saw _Kaeru _Mutant explode and Frankie's safe return.

"That's three down," said Rapunzel smugly.

"Enough of this!" exclaimed Gothel. She then resumed her work on the locked box, "I've wasted enough time. Supreme deities aren't made everyday, you know!"

"Yubaba said she lost the key to that box long ago and couldn't get it open since," said Sora, "what makes you so sure that you'll open it?"

"Because I will it so!" exclaimed Gothel in a deranged tone, a mad look in her eyes as she grinned manically at Sora, "I will it so. It is my own destiny that I forge that I shall open this box and fulfill my end of the bargain with Dai-Shocker! It is by my hand that shall deliver me the means to ascend to the most high, to become The One Goddess! I shall be supreme! I shall dominate all! I! I! I!"

All of a sudden, Yusuke appeared from one of the side tunnels, "Lady, you're freaking nuts!" he shouted.

"What the hell!?" exclaimed Dio Brando as he and the other villains saw Yusuke, "Where did you come from?!"

"Tokyo, great town," said Yusuke in a matter of fact tone.

"You've made a grave miscalculation, boy," said Darom menacingly, "those who enter the presence of Gorgom uninvited forfeit their existence."

"Oh, I'm so scared, I'm shaking," said Yusuke sarcastically.

Just then Riku, Tess, Malcolm, Julia, Mark, Toralei and Howleen, all appeared from different side tunnels.

"It's a good thing you creeps made this place user friendly," said Mark, "without those 'you are here' maps on the walls, we'd never have gotten into position."

"How did you find us in the first place?" Brother Courtney asked.

"This baby's pretty useful," said Yusuke as he indicated his Spirit Compass.

"Technology, not one to be underestimated," said Brother Courtney.

"So, you really are still alive," said Tess as she glared at The Lord of Illusions.

"And pissed to hell and back!" snapped the multi-colored trickster. He then summoned a sword, "I'm going to enjoy making you bleed, and I'll enjoy making you enjoy it."

"I don't think so!" said Malcolm. He then cast a spell that produced a flash of white light. Sora, Rapunzel, Riku, Tess, Malcolm, Julia, Mark, Toralei, Howleen and Yusuke were unaffected, but Maleficent, Regina, Gothel, The Three High Priests and the rest of the villains were left blinded.

"Take theses!" Mark shouted as he tossed three gas masks to Sora and Rapunzel. Mark and Julia then pulled out several tear gas grenades and threw them at the villains. The grenades released the noxious vapors that left the blinded villains coughing and even more disoriented.

"How did you…?" Sora asked after he and Rapunzel put their gas masks on, then secured the third on Kairi, while Riku, Tess and the rest of the rescue group had gas masks already on.

"No time to explain, Sora!" Riku shouted as he picked Kairi up in his arms, "we've got to go now!"

Just then there was the sound of four incoming teleports, followed by the sound of four more individuals coughing.

"Come on, Sora!" Howleen shouted. She then grabbed Sora, while Tess grabbed Rapunzel. With that, they all ran for one of the tunnels.

"We'll be back on the surface in a few minutes," said Malcolm, "from there we meet up with Aiden and the others and it's an end run back to the bathhouse."

"How'd you come up with this plan?" Sora asked.

"We made it up at the last second," said Tess, "I know, crazy, right? But sometimes, crazy works."

"I guess so," said Sora.

"How's Kairi?" Julia asked.

"She's trapped in the cursed nightmare," said Sora, "we've got to get her back to Zeneba right now!"

* * *

…**The Enemy Lair…**

"This is getting ridiculous!" said Regina. She then cast a spell that removed the tear gas from the chamber. When everyone could see again, they saw _Tora _Mutant, _Kuma _Mutant, _Ookami _Mutant and _Ari _Mutant had returned.

"You four are late!" exclaimed Baraom, "we called you back to deal with the intruders down here!"

"Why bother with them?" Lady Tremaine asked, "the creatures wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway."

"I doubt that the brats would have been stooped by even a dozen Mutants," said Dio Brando.

"Why is that?" Brother Courtney asked the Three High Priests, "I was lead to believe that Gorgom Mutants were so powerful that it took everything Minami Kotaro had to destroy them."

"We admit that our new Mutants are…less than up to our previous standards," said Bishium.

"It is because we lack the power of a Creation King," said Darom.

"Wait a moment," said Gothel, "you mean to say that you've been breeding defective Mutants this whole time?!"

"Defective is such a hash word," said Baraom, "we prefer the term…'below average.'"

"And you didn't tell me this?!" Gothel demanded, "out of all the idiotic, irresponsible, incompetent, imbecilic acts I have ever seen, this is the limit! If I…" she then noticed that the box had fallen onto the floor and opened.

"What…I don't believe it!" said an overjoyed Gothel. She then picked up the box and took out two crystals, one orange, the other purple.

"Here are your King Stones!" said Gothel as she handed them to Darom, "the keys to your Creation King, and the key to my ascension to the most high!"

"Well, score one for you," said Dio Brando.

"Yes, it would seem that your fortunes have changed for the better," said Regina to Gothel.

"Thank you," said Gothel smugly, "and if you're quick enough, you can be the first of my countless acolytes."

"NO!" exclaimed Darom. He then threw the crystals at Gothel, hitting her in the head, "deceiving bitch!"

"What the hell!?" Gothel exclaimed as she felt her head where the crystals impacted, "I worked really hard to get those for you and you throw them at me? What is wrong with you!?"

"You didn't get the crystals," said Regina, "all you did was open the box, and I think it opened by accident when you dropped it when we were all gassed."

"I must have loosened the lock," said Gothel.

"Your efforts were in vain, woman!" exclaimed Baraom.

"I don't understand," said an irate Gothel as she picked up the crystals, "these are the ones you want, right?!"

"They are fakes!" exclaimed Bishium, "those are not the King Stones!"

Gothel then looked at the crystals in time to see them shatter into countless tiny pieces, while at the same time, the box shattered into pieces as well.

"I do believe we've been bamboozled," said The Lord of Illusions.

"Yubaba and Zeneba," said Brother Courtney, "they are starting to annoy me."

"This is outrageous!" exclaimed Gothel, "how dare those bitches deny me my rightful pace as the supreme Goddess!? I will destroy them for this!"

"I believe you've made a big enough fool of yourself as it is," said Maleifcent.

"What?" Gothel asked, "what did you say?"

"I implied that you are a fool," said Maleficent, "and that you should not be allowed to continue in this endeavor," she then looked at Brother Courtney, "wouldn't you agree?"

"Indeed," said Brother Courtney, "I was getting rather tired of her prattling anyway."

"What?" Gothel asked as she looked at Brother Courtney with disbelieving eyes, "you cannot cast me aside! We had a deal!"

"And you defaulted on that deal," said Brother Courtney, "Dai-Shocker has little tolerance for failure. Be thankful that you are not to be exterminated immediately."

"In the meantime," said The Lord of Illusions as the viewer showed all of our heroes and allies meeting topside and began running back towards the bathhouse, "I suggest that we do something about the pests."

"Indeed," said Maleficent. She then looked at _Ookami _Mutant, _Tora _Mutant, _Ari _Mutant and _Kuma _Mutant, "I do believe I have just the thing to finish off Sora's friends, leaving him alive to wallow in his suffering." She then cast a spell that engulfed the four mutants in an insidious purple light and drew them together, forming a bigger purple light.

"What have you done?" Gothel asked.

At that Regina laughed, "Fusion, old comrade," she said, "fusion of four dark creatures into something even darker."

The purple light then faded and a new Mutant was revealed. The creature was ten feet tall with fur that was an amalgamation of wolf, tiger and bear. It had six upper limbs, two wolf, two tiger and two bear, with a head that was a fusion of the three mammal Mutants, while its eyes were blood red and had the antenna of the ant Mutant.

"Magnificent," said an impressed and awed Bishium.

"Have you considered a career in Dai-Shocker?" Brother Courtney asked Maleficent..

"NO!" Gothel shouted, "I am the one allied with Dai-Shocker! I am the one whom shall receive the ritual that will make me a supreme deity! I am to be Goddess!"

"You're no goddess," said The Lord of Illusions in a contemptuous tone, "you're just a silly human with atrophied magic. You sicken me with your delusions of grandeur."

"Coming from you, that's saying something," Dio Brando remarked.

"Be grateful that I don't trap you in Room 101," said The Lord of Illusions.

"What's that?" Gaston asked.

"It's an illusion that forces you to experience the one thing you truly fear," said the trickster, "the one thing that will leave you a quivering mass of terror-stricken jelly." He then smiled viciously, "I should have used it before on Tess. But now's my chance to truly break her."

"Then let us proceed," said Maleficent, "now, before the brats reach the protections of the bathhouse and make our efforts against them that much more irksome."

"Indeed," said Regina. She then cast a spell on Gothel, "you will come with us and watch as we steal your glory."

"I hate you," said Gothel as she was forced to walk towards Regina and kneel, "I should have stabbed you in the heart! I should have made sure you were dead!"

"You had your chance and failed," said Regina, "you had ever chance to make the most of yourself and failed ever one. Now you shall see what true villainy can do."

* * *

…**Aboveground…**

"What were they doing to Kairi?" Riku asked as our heroes and allies hurried back to the bathhouse.

"Maleficent was making her dream that cursed nightmare again," said Sora, "all so I could suffer."

"I'd rip her black soul out of Penny Dubois' body if I had the chance," said Tess.

"First thing's first," said Sora, "we've got to get her to Yubaba and Zeneba."

"But I'm not ready yet," said Rapunzel, "I can't use my powers yet."

"If we don't try then Kairi's finished!" said Sora.

Just then Maleficent, Regina, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine, Gaston, The Lord of Illusions, Brother Courtney, Gothel, Shadowcast, The Three High Priests and the new Chimera Mutant, teleported in front of our heroes and allies.

"I'm afraid you're not going anywhere," said Regina.

"Get out of our way!" Sora shouted.

"No," said Regina. "This is as far as you go."

"Where are the real King Stones!?" Darom demanded.

"Wherever Yubaba hid them and she's not giving them up," said Yusuke.

"Hey, Urameshi," said Kuwabara, "isn't that the foggy vampire demon Botan told you about?" He then pointed at Shadowcast.

"Yeah, that's the guy," said Yusuke. He then shouted at the fog-like demon, "Hey! You're Shadowcast, right?"

"Correct," said the fog-like demon.

"Then you're wanted for murder," said Yusuke.

"What nonsense is this?" Gothel asked.

"I'd like to know that myself," said Riku.

"I barely noticed that guy until he talked to me and Rapunzel," said Sora.

"He's a psychic vampire," said Yusuke, "and my boss says to shut him down!"

"You will try," said Shadowcast. He then threw off his cloak and assumed his vapor form, spreading out like a fog and moved across the area towards our heroes and allies.

"Don't let him touch you!" said Yusuke as the fog-like demon extended vaporous tendrils that reached towards Sora and the others. They all dodged the tendrils but Mark tripped on a rock and fell over. A fog tendril enveloped Mark and began draining him of energy.

"Get away from him!" Julia shouted as she fired her pistols into the demonic fog, but the bullets passed through the vapor. "Okay," said Julia, "that's not good."

"How about this!?" Frankie shouted as she shot a bolt of electricity at the fog. The electricity crackled through the cloud and our heroes heard the creature shout in pain. The tendril withdrew from Mark and the fog cloud condensed back into Shadowcast's biped form.

"Let's see how this works!" Felicia shouted. She then threw a knife that hit Shadowcast, but the demon pulled it out of his body.

"It didn't," said Shadowcast. He then pointed his right arm at Felicia and extended it out as another fog tendril. Felicia tried to dodge it but would up being enveloped and having her energy drained.

"Stop it!" Frankie shouted as she shot another bolt of electricity at Shadowcast. The creature was electrocuted again and withdrew from Felicia.

"This could go on for a while," said Brother Courtney.

"Then let us avoid the tedious wait," said Maleficent. She then looked at Chimera Mutant, "destroy them!"

Chimera Mutant roared in fury and rushed at our heroes, reaching Steven and knocking him to the ground with a single punch before he could react. The creature then attacked Aiden and delivered a laser blast from its antenna, knocking him down, followed by grabbing Frankie and crushing her metal arm and knocking her down too.

"Take this!" Riku shouted as he and Tess threw their Keyblades at Chimera Mutant, only for it to dodge the Keyblades, then rush at Riku and Tess. It knocked Tess down, then grabbed Riku in a bear hug and began crushing him.

"Let him go!" Malcolm shouted as he sent several curses at Chimera Mutant, only for the dark magic spells to bounce off of the creature's thick hide. But then Yusuke ran up and delivered a devastating punch to the creature's head, forcing it to release Riku. He gasped for breath and fell to the ground.

Chimera Mutant then glared at Yusuke and rushed at him, delivering a barrage of punches that Yusuke was barely able to block. "A little help here, Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted.

"I'm kinda busy here, Urameshi!" Kuwabara shouted as he dodged multiple fog tendrils from Shadowcast, blocking some with his Spirit Sword and evading the rest.

"Great," said Yusuke, "I've got to do all the work myself. Typical!" he then charged up his right hand with spirit energy and pulled it back. "Shotgun!" he shouted as he threw his fist forward, unleashing a fury of spirit energy bullets that hid Chimera Mutant, knocking the creature to the ground. But to Yusuke's surprise, the creature got back up again, barely scratched.

"Okay, that's not good," said Yusuke. He then dodged a laser blast from the creature's antenna. He then aimed his finger at Chimera Mutant and charged it with spirit energy, "Spirit Gun!" he then shot the bullet at the creature. It hit Chimera Mutant and knocked it down, but the creature got back up again.

"Can't you blast it again!" Sora shouted as he ran forward and shot several fireballs at the creature, which only slowed it down as it advanced on him and Yusuke.

"I'm kinda running low on energy right now," said Yusuke, "I've got maybe one or two more Spirit Gun blasts left before I'm out."

"That's not good," said Sora.

"It's about to get worse!" Malcolm shouted, "look!"

Sora saw to his horror that Gaston and Lady Tremaine had grabbed Rapunzel, while Dio Brando had the unconscious Kairi.

"I offer you this one chance, Sora," said Maleficent, "surrender or watch your beloved Kairi suffer even more." She then cast a spell that amplified the cursed nightmare, making Kairi thrash about in even more unconscious terror.

"Stop it!" Sora shouted, "you're killing her!"

"No, _you're_ killing her," said Dio Brando.

"And now we're going to kill this one," said Regina. She then looked at Gaston and Lady Tremaine, "do your worst to Rapunzel."

"No!" Gothel shouted, "I need her! I need her heart to become omnipotent!"

Lady Tremaine then shot her torment beam on Gothel. She screamed in agony as she was forced to relive her worst, her most painful memories. Succumbing to utmost despair, Gothel fell to the ground.

"That hit the spot," said Lady Tremaine in a pleased tone as she ceased her torment beam, "now," she then looked at Rapunzel, whom was staring at her with defiant and afraid eyes, struggling to free herself from Gaston's clutches. "What about you?"

"I think I'll take her apart piece by piece," said Gaston.

"You can obliterate the waif after I'm done with her," said Lady Tremaine.

But then Eugene came from out of nowhere, ran up to Lady Tremaine and bashed her on the head with the frying pan, "you leave her alone!" he shouted.

But Lady Tremaine was still standing, albeit sore from being hit on the head. She then glared at Eugene irately and blasted him with her torment beam, forcing him to his knees as he cried out in agony.

"NO!" Rapunzel shouted as she struggled harder to free herself from Gaston, but to no avail.

"If there's one thing I hate, it's a pathetic attempt at heroism," said Lady Tremaine. She then walked up to Rapunzel, "hold her still," she said to Gaston, "I'm going to obliterate her mind," she then raised her hand up to fire her torment beam point blank right at Rapunzel's head.

But then from out of nowhere came a green, thorny vine that whipped around Lady Tremaine's hand and pulled her onto her back.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to do that," said a boy who was holding the other end of the thorny whip. He was about 15 with long red hair, green eyes and wore a light purple middle school uniform.

"What kept you, Kurama!?" Yusuke asked as he dodged a claw swipe from Chimera Mutant, then retaliated with a punch to the face.

"I'm sorry, Yusuke," said Kurama, "I had exams at my school."

"You really out to loosen up a bit, man," said Kuwabara as he cut through one of Shadowcast's tendrils with his Spirit Sword, "wait, if you're here, then where's shorty?"

"He'll be along at the right moment," said Kurama.

Lady Tremaine then freed herself of the thorny whip and got back up, "I know not who you are, boy, but you've made the worst mistake if your miserable life!" she then fired her torment beam at Kurama, whom dodged it easily.

"Enough of this!" Regina shouted. She then looked at Gaston, "Kill the waif!"

"With pleasure!" said Gaston as he prepared to shoot his destruction beam at Rapunzel. But she kicked him in the groin, forcing him to release her as he bent over in pain. Rapunzel ran to Eugene, whom was just starting to get back up, but then Dio Brando grabbed both of them before they knew what happened.

"Save a little for me to play with!" he said to Gaston as he held Rapunzel and Eugene still. But then something very fast and black shot past Dio Brando.

"What was that?" Dio Brando asked. He then realized that both hands had been severed at the wrists. His hands were still gripping Rapunzel and Eugene. They then ripped the hands away from them and ran to Sora.

"How'd that happen!?" Regina asked.

"I made it happen," said the being whom was the black streak. He was a short man, about 5' tall or so, with spiky black hair with blue and white streaks. He had crimson eyes with a white headband and wore a black tunic coat and black pants. In his hands was a katana sword.

"Hiei," said Yusuke as he managed to break one of Chimera Mutant's arms, while Sora and Malcolm bashed the creature in the head.

"What kept you, shorty!?" Kuwabara asked irately as he managed to delver a moderate wound to Shadowcast's torso, but the fog-demon shrugged it off and sent its tendrils at Kuwabara again.

"I was waiting for the right moment, you buffoon!" said Hiei.

"You have chosen the wrong battle to intrude on, demon," said Maleficent.

"He's a demon!?" Sora shouted.

"He's actually an okay guy," said Yusuke, "kind of a jerk, but alright once you get to know him."

"And before anyone reveals my true nature," said Kurama, "I'm half demon, or rather, a demon born into a human body."

"It's a long story," said Yusuke.

"I think I'll end it," said Dio Brando as he regenerated his severed hands, "and it'll be a messy end indeed."

"I'm afraid that end won't come just yet," said Kurama as he pulled out a green pod, "let's take a rain check!" he then threw the pod to the ground and it exploded, releasing a cloud of blue pollen that left Maleficent and the other villains coughing violently, while Sora and the other heroes retrieved Kairi and ran for the bathhouse.

"Where'd you get that plant?" Frankie asked as she removed her mangled metal arm, "my friend Venus would love to share notes with you."

"That's not all Venus would love to share," said Toralei as she looked at Kurama with dazzled eyes, "what a hunk."

"Either I'm crazy, or Toralei is crushing on the new guy," said Howleen.

"Is that good or bad?" Mark asked.

"I honestly don't know," said Howleen.

A short time later they all found themselves at the entrance to the bathhouse, where Yubaba, Zeneba and Chihiro were waiting.

"Get inside!" Zeneba shouted. Our heroes ran into the bathhouse, after which the twin witches cast multiple shield spells around the building.

"That'll hold them off for a while," said Yubaba.

"In the meantime," said Zeneba, "we've got work to do."

"I'm ready to heal Kairi," said Chihiro, "and the spell to send Sora into Kairi's mind is ready too."

"I'm ready too," said Sora.

"Then let's get my powers up to speed," said Rapunzel.

"While we'll get ready to hold the enemy off," said Riku as he and the others drank healing items that repaired their wounds.

"We are so not getting paid enough for this," said Steven again.

"I'm starting to agree with you," said Felicia, while Julia and Mark nodded in agreement.

"I didn't even get to fight Tess!" The Lord of Illusions shouted as the choking pollen was blown out of the area by a spell from Regina, "I will rip out her accursed soul and drown it!"

"Can you drown a soul?" Brother Courtney asked.

"I'll find out," said the trickster.

"It may take a while," said Regina, "by now the brats will be back inside the bathhouse."

"Yubaba and Zeneba will have thrown up ever magical defense they have to keep us out," said Brother Courtney, "nothing that cannot be torn down, but it'll still be difficult and time consuming."

"Then permit us to make things easier," said Baraom. He, Darom and Bishium were then engulfed in dark purple lights that crackled with black lightning.

"Now what?" Gaston asked.

"I do believe that The Three High Priests are evolving," said Brother Courtney.

The purple lights faded out and revealed the Three High Priests transformed. Darom was no a gray trilobite creature with an insect-like face. Baraom was now a green-furred similodon creature with razor sharp fangs and claws. Bishium was now a black-skinned, pteradon-like creature with white hair, winged arms and still had her face.

"Behold, the Grand Mutants of Gorgom!" said Brother Courtney.

"Nice," said Dio Brando as he looked at the three Grand Mutants, then more closely at the more sensual body of Grand Mutant Bishium, "real nice."

"And powerful," said Regina, "I can sense their heightened darkness."

"Let Sora and his companions beware," said Grand Mutant Darom, "the wrath of Gorgom is slow and lingering!"

* * *

…**Metamore…2065 A.D…**

Alegra arrived in the middle of an elaborately crafted garden in the middle of the Meridian Royal Palace. It was mid afternoon and the sun was shinning warmly, while several birds sang in the trees and along the castle walls.

Sitting beneath a particularly large oak tree was a woman in her mid 70's with long white hair tied into a braid. She wore a blue dress and robe and was reading a book, a dog-eared copy of The Lord of the Rings.

"I can tell you how it ends," said Alegra to the woman.

"I memorized it when I was a child," said the woman as she placed a bookmark in her novel and set it down. She then stood up and looked at Alegra with intense, ice blue eyes, "but I still enjoy the story."

"I was just pointing out that truth is more interesting than fiction," said Alegra, "your own biography is still a best seller on twenty worlds, Queen Elyon."

"I abdicated the throne long ago in favor of my daughter," said the woman, Elyon, "and she abdicated so her daughter could sit on the throne."

"How is your granddaughter?" Alegra asked, "Alyssa, am I right? And who else in in her family? Let me see," she then began pacing back and forth, "you married Dylan Voltier of Ajalon. Your firstborn daughter, Celina, she married the son of Cornelia Hale and Caleb, Aldarn, after his best friend. Their daughter, Alyssa, the current queen, she married Will Vandom's grandson and now has a daughter of her own, Janelle. You have quite the family, Elyon."

"And you're still poking your nose where it doesn't belong, Alegra Wells," said Elyon. She then smiled warmly, "but it's good to see you anyway." With that the two of them embraced like long lost friends.

"So," said Elyon as the two of them walked through the garden, "how long as it been for you? It was about 2015 last time you were here, so that makes it about fifty years for me."

"Almost four hundred on my end," said Alegra, "four hundred years and roughly seventy…seventy-five deaths."

"I'll never forget when you were hit by a killing curse, died and came back to life in front of everyone," said Elyon, "scared me half to death myself." she then frowned, "are you here for The Guardians?"

"If my timing is correct, the current generation of The Guardians are in the middle of a crisis of their own," said Alegra, "I've already asked too much of them regardless. No, I'm here to recruit the help of another."

"Of course," said Elyon in an irate but understanding tone, "you're here for him. Well, I won't stop you, but I just want to say that you should find someone else to assist you in whatever conflict you've stirred up. He's suffered enough because of your meddling!"

"What he's been through before is only made worse because he never had the chance to set things right," said Alegra, "to never avenge those he loved. I'm giving him that chance to strike one last blow against Dai-Shocker."

"My friends and I secured our Earth, Metamore and so many more worlds against Dai-Shocker," said Elyon, "why bother him with a fight that he has nothing to do with?"

"Why don't I ask him that myself?" Alegra asked, "or are you going to refuse me."

"No," said Elyon reluctantly, "I still owe you. I'll take you to him, to The Clockmaker."

"Is that what he's calling himself now?" Alegra asked. "Well, whatever combs his hair."

"He doesn't have hair anymore," said Elyon. "Come on, he's in his workshop."

Elyon lead Alegra thought he castle to a chamber filled with clocks and other clockwork devices. Standing at a table full of tools and wooden pieces were several boys and girls ranging from ages 6 to 9, as well as an old man in his 80's. He was bald with dark brown eyes and wore glasses, as well as a green linen shirt and brown trousers with a tool belt and vest. The children were all looking somewhat bored.

"And that, my young friends," said the old man, "is the secret to the perfect clock."

"I'm glad you're making such a grand impression," said Elyon.

The children turned around and one of them, a girl with long, straw blond hair in two braids and ice blue eyes, smiled brightly, "Grandma Ellie!" She then ran up to and embraced Elyon.

"Oh, my dearest Janelle!" said Elyon happily, "you're growing like a weed!"

"And she's the mirror image of your younger self," said Alegra.

At that the old man turned around and looked at Elyon and Alegra. He smiled brightly at Elyon, then frowned at Alegra, "oh, it's you." He then looked at the boys and girls, "okay, younglings, the crazy old man and the strange lady from another world have grownup business to attend to, so run along."

"Why don't we see what some of your cousins are up to?" Elyon said to Janelle.

"Okay," said Janelle. She then waived goodbye at the old man and she and the former queen left the room, along with the rest of the children.

"I'm glad to see that you found some happiness in your twilight years," said Alegra to the old man.

"When you're as crazy as I am, you either keep busy and enjoy what you got, or go even more crazy," said the old man as he glared irately at Alegra, "I ought to kill you with my bare hands. I would, but you'd just come back to life like you always do and then you'd forgive me for losing my temper. Then I'd kill you just for spite and you'd come back and forgive me again."

"Immortality and patience go hand and hand," said Alegra.

"Cut the crap, you immortal bitch!" said the old man, "what do you want with me? Haven't you twisted my already twisted life enough as it is?"

"Dai-Shocker," said Alegra.

At that the old man relaxed and sat down at a nearby bench, while Alegra sat in a recently sanded chair, "what about Dai-Shocker?" the old man asked.

"I'm in the middle of disrupting one of their more elaborate plans," said Alegra, "I've already recruited several heroes to shut down the diabolical scheme," she then smiled, "but I had hoped that you'd be interested in a chance to make them pay for what they did to you."

The old man stood up and walked over to a nearby wooden chest that was secured with an elaborate lock, "they destroyed my world," said the old man, "I…I was the only survivor," he then looked at Alegra, "you saved me and brought me to this world, this one Metamore of many in the multi-verse."

"You used your talents to help turn the tide of the rebellion," said Alegra, "you gave Caleb and his allies the means to truly go on the offensive. You saved the life of Elyon and later saved Will and her fellow Guardians in their darkest hour. You then settled down and dedicated your life to peace and the progress of Metamore."

"And now you come to me and ask me to give it all up and risk death once again," said the old man, "well, I've lived long enough as it is, and I never gave up my hate of Dai-Shocker. I'll help Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders. Yes, I know all about them and their meddling adventures. I'll help them, on one condition."

"Name it," said Alegra.

"I want to give Sora a message," said the old man, "a message for my other selves, the first other me that Sora runs into. It's too late to change things for me, but perhaps I can help one of my other selves from experiencing the same pain, and maybe alleviate the same pain for someone else."

"I know who you're talking about," said Alegra, "and you can tell Sora whatever you want. Just be ready to move on my signal."

"I'll be waiting," said the old man.

"Thank you," said Alegra, "you've been through so much. It's wrong what happened to you and I'd go back and save your world, but…"

"But it's time locked, yes, I know," said the old man, "just go do what you have to do and call me when I'm needed. I'll be waiting."

"I won't keep you waiting for long," said Alegra, "thank you, Andrew Carpenter." With that she vanished.

The old man, Andrew Carpenter, took out from his pocket a large brass key and used it to unlock the wooden chest. Inside, beneath a layer of dust cloths, was an old tan jacket with a faded BPRD patch, as well as an old digital watch and a metal case. Andrew took out a smaller key and opened the case, revealing a shoulder holster, a box of ammunition and a .475 Widley Auto Magnum.

Andrew put the watch on his left wrist, the shoulder holster and the pistol and then the jacket, "just like old times," he said. He then felt in the jacket pocket and took out an old color photograph, depicturing him in his late teens with seven other teenagers, among them younger versions of Leon Smyth-Falcon, Katina Jones, Max Kildare and Jill Sparrow.

"My friends," said Andrew as he touched the picture, his fingers lingering on Jill, "my love, just wait a little longer, I'm coming home."

**The end of chapter 7.**

_Next chapter finds Sora preparing to finally enter Kairi's mind and battle the cursed nightmare, while Riku and the others hold off Gorgom and the rest of the baddies. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	9. Chapter8: Journey to the Center of Kairi

_Last time found Sora and Rapunzel deep within the belly of the beast. Confronted by the threat of Kairi's death, Sora surrendered the box containing the King Stones to Gorgom, with Gothel having the means to open the box. But Gothel couldn't open it, no matter how hard she tried. Yusuke and the rest of the rescue team attacked and managed to extract Sora, Rapunzel and Kairi and, after a horrific battle, got her to safety in the bathhouse. Yet the enemy quickly regrouped and set out to end it, with the Three High Priests of Gorgom evolving into their Grand Mutant forms. Meanwhile, Alegra arrived on a parallel Metamore and recruited help from an alternate Andrew Carpenter, whom had a deep, deep grudge against Dai Shocker. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 8: Journey to the Center of Kairi**

"We've got just about every protective spell and enchantment in the book set up around the bathhouse," said Yubaba as she and everyone else gathered atop the balcony outside her penthouse apartment.

"And a few that aren't in the book," said Zeneba, "it'll be a while before Regina, Gothel and Gorgom can get to us."

"But Maleficent is here too," said Sora, "she brought more baddies with her."

"We'll still slow them down," said Yubaba, "while at the same time get Rapunzel ready for her part."

"I'm ready when you guys are," said Rapunzel, she then looked at Eugene, "unless you think we've gotten ourselves deep enough and want to cut and run."

"Are you kidding?" Eugene asked, "that lunatic who called herself your mother, she wants to eat your heart. I'm not leaving until I know she's dead for good!"

"She only wants to use my heart to make herself a god," said Rapunzel, "but I appreciate the sentiment."

"We'll all stay until this is finished," said Tara, while Jana, Hezekiah, Felicia, Julia, Steven, Mark, Frankie, Howleen, Andy and Toralei, all nodded in agreement.

"Hey, don't forget about us!" said Kuwabara, "Urameshi and me, we're in this to the end!"

"We've made those Gorogm idiots pretty mad," said Yusuke, "so we might as well keep going."

"I almost forgot," said Sora, "Gorgom's not the real enemy, and neither is Maleficent."

"Dai-Shocker," said Rapunzel, "they're the ones pulling the strings."

"Dai-Shocker?" Julia asked, "we've heard rumors about those multi-dimensional bastards."

"And they're out to make a new boss for Gorgom," said Sora, "that's what they want the crystals for, they're really King Stones."

"Of course!" said Yubaba, "I remember now! The man whom gave them to me, he told me to watch out for Gorgom, that the crystals would be the key to their return."

"Which is why we can't let them have the crystals," said Riku.

"Sister, where is the box?" Zeneba asked.

"It's safe, sister of mine," said Yubaba.

"Where?" Zeneba insisted, "I have to be sure."

"You doubt your own flesh and blood?" Yubaba asked.

"Well, considering how long we've been rivals out to steal each other's magical items," said Zeneba, "I say that you owe me some reassurance, to say the least."

"Just tell her already, Yubaba," said Chihiro.

"I'd rather not give away one of my most carefully guarded secrets," said an annoyed Yubaba. She then looked at Zeneba, "but since we're trying to patch things up, sister of mine, I'll give you a hint. It's in the last place anyone, hero or villain, would dream of looking and if you have to ask me again, then you're not as clever as you think you are, dear sister."

At that Zeneba smiled, "oh, that place. I doubt that even Maleficent would think of that."

"What are you talking about?" Toralei asked.

"I believe I know the answer," said Kurama, "Yubaba has a subspace pocket set up inside her. Right next to her heart is a miniature dimension where she stores her most precious items, her most secret of treasures."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Yubaba. A sharp wind blew out of nowhere as flames began spewing from her mouth and nostrils. She then levitated a few inches off of the floor and rapidly hovered over to Kurama, "how did you know about my secret pocket!? Tell me, boy!"

"I helped you make it, long ago," said Kurama, "I was a different person then, with a different body, but I remember."

"You honestly don't recognize him, sister of mine?" Zeneba asked, "it's Yuko Kurama, the greatest thief in the spirit world."

"Yoko Kurama?" Yubaba asked as she began to calm down. She landed back on the floor while the flames went out from her nose and mouth, "the fox spirit?" she then looked at Kurama, "is it really you?"

"In the flesh, so to speak," said Kurama, "time hasn't been kind to you, old friend, but you still have the fire that inspired me."

"I don't believe it!" Yusuke laughed, "Kurama, are you saying that…that you and the old lady…she's your girlfriend?"

"What!?" Toralei exclaimed.

"You and him?!" Chihiro asked Yubaba.

"It was a long time ago," said Yubaba in an annoyed tone, "the boy here, he used to be quite the looker, but now," she looked at Kurama with disappointed eyes, "you still have a considerable amount of your power, but you stink like a human!"

"Being reborn as a human can do that," said Hiei.

"I almost forgot about you, shorty," said Kuwabara.

"Don't push me, numbskull," said an annoyed Hiei.

"But he does make a valid point," said Malcolm. He then looked at both Hiei and Kurama, "why are two demons helping us?"

"And why are you friends with Yusuke?" Chihiro asked.

At that Hiei glared at Chihiro, "let me make this perfectly clear, Princess of Heart, yes, I know what you are. As to why I am associated with the detective and the nitwit, I have my own reasons and that is all you need to know."

"He's on probation," said Yusuke, "Kurama's an okay guy, but Hiei's on a short leash."

"Be careful that I do not bite the hand that holds that leash," said Hiei, "I'm here to vanquish lesser demons, Heartless and Mutants, nothing more."

"Can we argue over who's doing what for whatever reason when we're not about to be slaughtered?" Tess asked.

"Well spoken," said Yubaba, "now," she then looked at Rapunzel, "let's get your powers up and running."

Just then Alegra appeared, "I'm afraid it'll take more than healing power to get us out of this mess."

"You!" Tess shouted irately, "haven't you done enough!"

"And how did you get inside the bathhouse!?" Yubaba exclaimed.

"I did exactly what I set out to do," said Alegra, "and I have my own travel means, so let's leave it at that. The point," she then looked at Sora, "is that Kairi is still in grave danger."

Just then Columbina appeared, "indeed," said the masked woman.

"Bitch!" Julia shouted as she pulled out her pistols and shot at Columbina, but the bullets passed through the masked woman, whom laughed at the effort.

"How many times mist I make it clear to you pathetic primates?" Columbina asked as she smiled cruelly, "I cannot be harmed by anything you have."

"Just give us the chance," said an irate Tess, "we'll find out exactly how to kill you."

"Keep dreaming, it will only provide a hollow satisfaction," said Columbina. She then looked at Alegra, "I congratulate you on getting this far. You found Kairi before I did, but she is still cursed and the wager is still on."

"You know of my efforts," said Alegra, "but what have you done to win the bet?"

"Plenty," said Columbina, "just who do you think tipped Gorgom off about two pristine King Stones? Whom informed Gothel that the one pure heart that will make her a goddess belongs to Rapunzel?"

"Dai-Shocker," said Rapunzel, "they saved Gothel when she fell out of the tower. They resurrected Gorgom."

"You silly little girl," said Columbina as she gave a vicious smile. She then frowned with seriousness, "I _am _Dai-Shocker! Or rather, I am the one who created Dai-Shocker out of the remnants of previous dark organizations. They believe that their so called Great Leader is their leader, but they are all blissfully unaware that I am pulling their strings."

"Well, bully for you," said Alegra, "but as to our wager, from my point of view, you're losing."

"True," said Columbina, "I cannot do anything myself to harm Kairi, nor can I open a door for Gorgom and their allies to enter the bathhouse. Yet, I have more than one option at my disposal.

"So do I," said Alegra as she took a few steps closer to Columbina, "I don't know about you, but I always keep a few aces up my sleeves."

"And you know how to use them, I'm sure," said Columbina as she stepped closer to Alegra, the two of them now only a few inches apart, glaring eye to eye, "but I always keep a set of loaded dice in my pocket."

"So we both cheat," said Alegra, "then again, it's not a question of _if_ you cheat, but _how _you cheat."

"We'll see who cheats best," said Columbina.

"Are you quite finished?" Yubaba asked in a contemptuous tone.

"Almost," said Columbina. She then looked at Sora, "be careful when you enter Kairi's mind. Fear can play havoc on even the most pure of hearts in the most interesting ways."

"As soon as I save Kairi," said Sora as he glared hatefully at Columbina, "I'm making it my mission to find and end you."

"Good luck," said Columbina.

"Now are you finished?" Yubaba asked.

"Yes, I am," said Columbina smugly.

"Then get the hell out of my bathhouse!" Yubaba shouted.

"Very well," said Columbina, and with that, she vanished.

"I'd never thought I'd meet someone I hate more than Maleficent," said Tess.

"Ain't that the truth," said Aiden.

"Then what are we doing standing around here for?" Sora asked, "let's get ready," he then looked at Yubaba and Zeneba, "you don't need Rapunzel for when I go into Kairi's mind?"

"No," said Zeneba, "but I…"

"Then send me in now!" said Sora, "now before Columbina tries whatever she's going to try."

"But Rapunzel still needs time to fully realize her power," said Zeneba.

"I can work while Sora's doing his thing," said Rapunzel, "I mean, Chihiro's got her powers working, so she can help."

"It's true," said Chihiro, "I can heal now," she then touched Aiden and healed a scratch on his arm that he didn't even notice.

"Thanks," said Aiden.

"Any time," said Chihiro, "but if what we're going to do for Kairi, it's gonna take everything I've got in me. I'll be exhausted afterwards."

"Same with you, Rapunzel," said Zeneba, "which is why we'll have to build up as much energy as you can hold."

"I feel like a sponge already," said Rapunzel.

"You know, it really wouldn't take much time to help Rapunzel achieve her powers," said Yubaba, "she should be ready by the time Sora confronts and defeats the cursed nightmare."

"Then let's do it!" said Sora, "send me into Kairi's mind!"

"Just give me a chance to get things ready," said Zeneba, "meet me in my sister's bedchamber in five minutes."

"Who said you could use my bedroom?" Yubaba asked.

"You did," said Zeneba, "just before our friends returned with Kairi."

"Oh, yes," said Yubaba, "I'll assist you, sister."

"We'll get ready too," said Riku to Sora, "just be careful inside Kairi's mind. Who knows what that demon curse has done to her?"

"I'm gonna find out," said Sora.

"Well, good luck," said Aiden, "and kick that curse in the balls for me."

"And tell Kairi that we all said hello," said Frankie, while Tess, Tara and everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Will do," said Sora.

"There's a few things I need to tell you, Sora," said Alegra, "before you begin your jaunt inside Kairi's inner mind. And before you say anything, Tess, this is important."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Tess remarked, "but now that you've brought it up, it had better be important."

"It is," said Alegra, "now, as I told our unseemly nemesis, Columbina, and much to the knowledge of the late Puppeteer, I always keep some aces up my sleeve. Yusuke is my first, or rather, he, along with Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama, they are the first ace."

"How can four people be a single card?" Kuwabara asked.

"It's a figure of speech," said Yusuke in an annoyed tone.

"Eh, you're a figure of speech, Urameshi," said Kuwabara.

"Do me a favor and don't ever breed," said Hiei.

"Oh, shut up!" snapped Kuwabara.

"Don't fight, the last thing we need is to be fighting with each other!" said Chihiro.

"Oh, let them get it out," said Alegra, "they'll need to cooperate when they fight in The Dark Tournament."

At that both Hiei and Kurama looked like a deep nerve had been struck, "what did you say?" Hiei asked in an accusing tone.

"What's a Dark Tournament?" Yusuke asked.

"Nothing, forget I even brought it up," said Alegra hastily, "needless to say, you four are the first of my aces and are already in play." She then looked at Sora, "my second ace is an expert on dreams and will join you in Kairi's dreamscape."

"Join me? How?" Sora asked, "and who is this guy?"

"_She _is an exceptionally gifted individual and a very dear friend of mine," said Alegra, "and she'll be assisted by another exceptionally gifted individual, or rather, six exceptional individuals if my guess is right. Anyway, my second ace will help you navigate the treacherous terrain of Kairi's dreamscape and combat the cursed nightmare, but you must be the one to bring Kairi back from the brink of oblivion."

"Okay," said Sora, "I'll take any help I can get."

"That's two aces," said Tess as she eyed Alegra suspiciously, "what's the third?"

"Minami Kotaro," said Alegra, "the man whom originally defeated Gorgom, or rather, an alternate version from an alternate reality. There's countless possibilities to chose from, so I matched one Minami Kotaro to combat this revived but slightly different version of Gorgom. He will be here soon to help repel the invaders, but do to the complex issues of traveling from one universe to another, I am not entirely sure as to when Kotaro will arrive, so Riku, Tess, you and the others are going to have to hold off the enemy until he gets here."

"I knew there was a hitch we'd get caught on," said an annoyed Tess.

"We'll still hold the enemy," said Riku, "for as long as it takes."

"And this time I'll help," said Alegra, "I'm staying until this plays out."

"So you're the fourth ace again?" Malcolm asked.

"Good heavens, no!" said Alegra in an offended tone, "using my heart as a sacrifice once was enough, for this decade that is. No, I'll be taking a more…hands on approach this time. As for my fourth ace, I called in a favor from a man whom holds a deep and personal grudge against Dai-Shocker. Again, I have no clear idea when he'll arrive, but once I send out the signal to my aces to come, they will come without a doubt."

"I'll hold you to that," said Tess as she pulled out her razor, "tell me, does your immortality heal non-lethal wounds?"

"Yes," said Alegra, "not as quick as getting my throat cut by that butter knife of yours, but yes."

"Then know this," said Tess as she opened her razor, "this plan of yours had better work, because if it doesn't, if Kairi doesn't make it, if Gorgom gets those King Stones and if we all end up dieing, I'm gonna scalp you before I buy the farm."

"I happen to like my scalp," said Alegra in a calm tone, unafraid of the gleaming razor blade before her, "so put that away, you won't need it on me."

"I'll keep it ready regardless," said Tess as she closed and pocketed her razor, "for The Lord of Illusions. This time around, I'll scalp him before I cut his head off."

"What's the point of scalping the guy?" Aiden asked, "I know, he's evil and needs to be destroyed, but why scalp him?"

"I've never scalped anyone," said Tess, "I just want to see if I like it."

"I'm starting to think that you're still a little crazy," said Aiden cautiously.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," said Tess, "it's all how you look at it."

"I'll be sure to hold down that trickster bastard so you can scalp him," said Riku.

"Oh, you're so sweet," said Tess in a loving tone.

Just then Lin ran into the room, "uh, boss?" she asked Yubaba, "we're in serious trouble."

Yubaba then summoned a crystal ball that revealed that the restaurant district outside. The streets and eateries were overrun with demons and Heartless, while another view of the hotel and its grounds were also choked with dark creatures.

"Mother fraker!" exclaimed Mark.

"Where do they get all of those things!?" Howleen asked in an exasperated tone.

"They must have gotten a demonic discount," said Steven.

"You were saying about sending out a signal?" Tess asked Alegra.

"Already sent," said Alegra as she held up a Mobile, "it's just a matter of time before my aces show up."

"Forget the aces," said Frankie, "what about all those people out there? The spirits who run the restaurants? And the Normies at the hotel?"

"We already got nearly all of them safely inside the bathhouse," said Lin, "we couldn't save everyone but we got most."

"And who gave you permission to use my bathhouse as a place of refuge?" Yubaba asked.

"No one," said Lin irately, "it was the decent thing to do. You got a problem with that? Take it out of my paycheck, but those people are staying in here where its safe."

"How'd they get past the protective spells and enchantments?" Tara asked, "the protections of Hogwarts held even Lord Voldemort at bay for a while."

"Our spells allow only those with good hearts and intentions in or out," said Zeneba, "a twisted heart like Maleficent could never enter freely."

"Speaking of which," said Chihiro as she looked at the crystal ball, which now showed Maleficent, Regina, Dio Brando, Gaston, Lady Tremaine, Shadowcast, The Lord of Illusions, Brother Courtney, Chimera Mutant and The Three Grand Mutants, gathering in the middle of the restaurant district. Several eateries had been demolished and an observation platform with a dark purple canopy raised.

"What the hell are those three?" Yusuke asked as he pointed at The Grand Mutants.

"They're the evolved forms of The Three High Priests," said Alegra, "now they're even more powerful than before."

"Just great," said Yusuke.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves, sister of mine," said Zeneba as she watched Regina summon several comfortable chairs, while several female demons in maid outfits served tea to the villains. Maleficent and the others were sitting down and being served, while Gothel was irately pacing back and forth. "They have us right where they want us."

"Yes," said Yubaba, "but we're not completely without hope, dear sister."

"Indeed," said Zeneba, "Sora, I suggest that we retire to Yubaba's chambers where Kairi lays waiting."

"We'll take care of the enemy, Sora," said Riku, "you focus on saving Kairi."

"Will do," said Sora as he gave Riku and everyone else the thumbs up. With that he, Rapunzel, Eugene, Chihiro, Yubaba and Zeneba headed for the doorway.

* * *

**...Outside...**

"Why are you waiting?!" Gothel exclaimed as she paced back and forth on the platform, glaring irately at the bathhouse, "you've got enough demons and Heartless to drown them!" She then glared at Regina, "why are you just sitting there drinking tea!?"

"What's wrong with a good sit and a cup of tea?" Regina asked as she had her cup refilled by one of the demonic maids, "two sugars, please."

"You disgust me!" Gothel snapped. She then glared at the rest of the seated villains, "you all disgust me! As we speak, the key to my ascension is inside that building, ripe for the taking! And you all are just sitting here, sipping tea, and Earl Grey at that! I hate Earl Grey!"

"Which goes to show you that you are not an expert on tea," said Brother Courtney.

"I'm not fond of tea either," said The Lord of Illusions as he discarded his teacup and summoned the illusion of a scantly clad serving girl, whom poured a glass of wine for him.

"I was under the impression, Gothel, that your ascension was no longer an issue here," said Brother Courtney, "that you were no longer necessary."

"Necessary my eye!" shouted Gothel, "I still have the chance to obtain Gorgom's King Stones!"

The Three Grand Mutants, whom had chosen to remain standing, looked at Gothel, "yes, she still has the chance," said Grand Mutant Darom.

"If she can deliver the King Stones," said Grand Mutant Baraom, "then we will vouch for her ascension."

"But if she fails one more time," said Grand Mutant Bishium, "then she will die by our hands."

"And it will be a slow and agonizing death," said Grand Mutant Darom.

"I may not last as long as you wish," said Gothel. She then pushed up the sleeves of her dress, revealing skin that was stone gray and cracked in a few places, "I'm falling apart."

"How interesting," said Maleficent as she stood up, walked over to to Gothel and grabbed her arms, examining the cracking skin, "this is almost like how the Hakonians die."

"But much slower," said Brother Courtney, "we engendered it so for Gothel, to ensure her cooperation."

"And now you abandon me to my fate," said Gothel, "you made it so that the only thing that could prevent me from crumbling into dust is the godhood ritual, and the one thing in all of existence that can make the ritual work is the pure heart of Rapunzel. And now you've taken it away from me! We had a bargain and you broke it!"

"I merely altered the bargain," said Brother Courtney, "more in Dai-Shocker's favor. You see, you will become a diety, but one that we at Dai-Shocker will control."

"What?!" Gothel exclaimed, "I am to become the One Goddess! The supreme overlord of all of existence! All of time and space will be at my command and you expect me to obey you worms? You fleas?! You microbes!?"

"Yes," said Brother Courtney after sipping his tea, "and you will obey Dai-Shocker, or you will die, and this time, no one will be there to save you."

At that Gothel looked as if she was ready to strangle Brother Courtney. But then she relented and smiled, "then, as your new Goddess, how may I serve Dai-Shocker?"

"Simply follow our suggestions from time to time," said Brother Courtney, "nothing too serious, too strenuous, just a hint now and then to guide the universe along."

"So be it," said Gothel. "I will deliver the King Stones and you will make me your Goddess."

"I'm so glad we could come to an agreement," said Brother Courtney, "now please, sit and enjoy some tea. The show is about to begin."

"Once we breach the defenses around the bathhouse," said Regina, "it'll be a matter of time before we capture Yubaba. You'll have whatever you need to force the old woman to giving up The King Stones."

"Then I'd prefer to remain standing," said Gothel, "If your plan to bring down the defenses are as perfect as you believe, then I had best be ready to move."

"Suit yourself," said Brother Courtney, "this is an excellent brew you're missing out on."

"I hate Earl Grey tea," said Gothel, "and I don't drink wine, trickster, not any that you have that is."

"Are you sure?" The Lord of Illusions asked after sipping his wine, "it's a very good vintage."

"No," said Gothel, "now leave me alone, I need to think."

"About what?" Dio Brando asked.

"About what I'm going to do to Yubaba," said Gothel, "it'll take quite a lot to make her give up The King Stones, so I'll have to be creative."

"You outwitted me once," said Regina, "I believe you'll successfully make Yubaba see reason."

"Oh, she will give them to me," said Gothel, "she will," she then glared at the bathhouse as the hordes of demons and Heartles s began throwing themselves at the protective spells around the building, the shields and enchantments osculating as the creatures self destructed upon impact, "she will."

* * *

**…Yubaba's bedchamber…**

"They hope to break the shields and enchantments through sheer numbers," said Zeneba as she looked out the window at the osculation's of the barriers around the bathhouse.

"They're only using up all of their cannon fodder," said Yubaba, "it'll take far more than a horde of mooks to break into my bathhouse."

"But if they do get through," said Chihiro, "what then?"

"Then they'll find more surprises than they can deal with," said Yubaba, "first thing's first," she then went to a nearby table where a human skull sat on it, Yubaba then spoke to the skull, "Lin! How's our unexpected guests?"

The skull then spoke, the top jaw moving the rest of it as Lin's voice came out from it, "they're all shook up but calming down."

"Good," said Yubaba, "move them to the storerooms below. We're in between festivals right now so there should be plenty of space in the basements. They'll be safe down there and if there's even more trouble, there's plenty of emergency escape tunnels to the railroad."

"Got it, boss!" said Lin.

"Now that there won't be any innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire," said Yubaba, "I can arm all the traps I've had installed in the walls of this bathhouse, programmed to ignore the defenders, of course."

"In the meantime," said Zeneba as she walked over to the bed, an enormous four-poster with silk sheets and feathered pillows, where Kairi lay atop it, sleeping restlessly, "we can begin our own mission. Sora, lay next to Kairi, if you please."

"Okay," said Sora as he climbed onto the bed and sat next to Kairi, laying down and holding her hand.

"The spell will first make you fall asleep," said Zeneba, "after you've begun dreaming, my sister and I will forge the link between your mind and Kairi's and you'll be free to enter her dreamscape. From there, it's up to you."

"Uh…okay," said Sora, "any last minute advice?"

"Nothing that hasn't been said before," said Yubaba, "take nothing for granted in the dreamscape, be on your guard and most of all, don't die."

"You die in the dreamscape, you die for real," said Zeneba.

"So you'd better come back or I'll kill you in the next life," said Chihiro, "I mean it, Sora. You'd better come back with Kairi safe and sound or I'll make you regret it."

"So, no pressure," said Eugene, "just do it."

"Good luck," said Rapunzel.

"Thanks," said Sora. He then relaxed as Zeneba cast a sleeping spell. Within seconds his eyes were closed and he was snoring slightly.

"It seems unfair to force him into what is most likely a no-win situation," said Yubaba, "chances are, both will die because of this."

"Have faith, sister of mine," said Zeneba, "Sora and Kairi are soul mates. They will overcome this tribulation with flying colors."

"I hope so," said Chihiro, "I like Sora, he's a good friend, I'd hate to kill him."

"You weren't serious about killing him, right?" Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

"No, but I'd be really upset with him," said Chihiro.

"Then let's not delay," said Yubaba. She and Zeneba then cast another spell. There was a bright blue flash that passed from Sora into Kairi.

"He's in her mind," said Yubaba, "all we can do is hope and wait."

"Fortunately, it won't be a boring wait," said Eugene as he pulled out a deck of cards.

* * *

The next thing Sora knew, he was back on the beach at Destiny Islands. Yet this was not home. Everything seemed a shade too dull, too grainy, too unfocused. Also, some of the trees that Sora was familiar with were missing, while unfamiliar trees were scattered across the beach. Some of the structures he and his friends played in were also missing, others were damaged, while the Paopu Fruit tree on the small island where he and Riku had practiced their swordsmanship, had been cut down.

"This isn't right," said Sora as he walked towards the main docks where the boats to the mainland were tied up to, but as he walked, Sora noticed that the scenery was changing, shifting ever so slightly in terms of color and object placemat.

All of a sudden, Sora sensed that he wasn't alone. He looked around but there was no one else on the island but him. But then he sensed movement from behind. He turned around but saw nothing, then sensed movement in the trees by the pool.

"Alright, cut it out!" Sora shouted, "I'm not here to play games!"

He then heard movement off to his right, followed by giggling, giggling that sounded like it came from a little girl.

"I mean it!" said Sora irately, "stop messing with me! I don't have time for this!"

Sora then heard the giggling again, only now it was coming from right below him. He looked down and saw Kairi, or rather, Kairi as she was when she first came to the islands. This Kairi was no more than five and wore a blue and white dress.

"Hi! I'm Kairi!" said the little girl, "nice to meet you!"

"I…uh…hello," said Sora as he bent down to shake young Kairi's hand, "nice to meet you too. What are you doing here?"

"I live here, silly," said young Kairi, "I just moved to the town in the mainland. Hey, wanna meet my friends? I'll introduce you to Sora and Riku, they're really nice."

"I'm sure they are," said Sora. He then saw younger versions of himself and Riku running up to young Kairi. For a moment, it looked as if younger Riku seemed a bit shorter than younger Sora, while younger Sora seemed a but more…real, than the rest of the world around.

But then all three of them vanished, leaving Sora alone again, "okay, that was weird."

"What's weird?"

Sora turned around and saw Kairi as she was about a year before the whole mess with The Heartless and Keyblades began. She was wearing the uniform of the local middle school and was carrying a briefcase.

"Hurry up, Sora!" said Kairi, "we're gonna be late for class!"

"Class?" Sora asked. He then realized that the environment had changed to that of their middle school. Blurred images of their fellow students milled through the hallway, while slightly unfocused images of Riku, Tidus, Wakka and Selphie, hurried past them.

"I'm not kidding, Sora!" said Kairi irately, "we're going to miss the start of exams and if we're tardy, I'm never eating lunch with you again!" With that she ran from Sora.

"Exams?" a nervous Sora asked, "but I didn't even study! Wait up!" he then started after Kairi, but then stopped, "wait, we're not in school right now."

All of a sudden the whole school shook as if from an earthquake. Reality shimmered around Sora and he found himself back on the beach, only now it was night time and the stars were out, but more brightly lit than before, while an enormous moon hung in the sky.

Sora then saw Miley, as Hannah Montana, walking towards the shoreline, "Miley?" a confused Sora asked, "what…what are you doing…?" He then saw himself and Kairi, laying on a blanket above the tide line. A romantic picnic had been set up and both Kairi and the other Sora were kissing.

Hannah then stopped a few feet away and began singing. But none of her more familiar songs came out, rather, the instrumental music for 'One in a Million' came from her mouth.

At the same time, Sora saw Aiden in a canoe, paddling through midair as he sang the words to 'One in a Million,' using Miley's voice no less.

Sora then saw himself pull out a small box and open it, revealing a diamond ring, which he held out to an overjoyed Kairi.

But then reality began to crack, then shimmered, gradually settling into something else.

"Was that something Kairi dreamed about?" Sora asked, "or something she imagined?"

"It's one of her hopes, Sora," said Kairi. He turned around and saw her, wearing bright lavender and teal royal gown with a diamond tiara with rainbow-colored gems set into it.

"Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Princess Kairi to you, Sora," said this version of Kairi, "I am the aspect of reason and logic within the mind of Kairi, as well as the aspect of her mind that, deny it all she wants, is the rightful heir to the throne of Radiant Garden."

"How do you know she doesn't want to be a princess?" Sora asked, "I know she wants to one day move back to Radiant Garden. Wherever she goes, I'll go."

"And she knows you'll follow her," said Princess Kairi, "yet she knows that you would never be truly happy away from Earth."

"I'll be happy wherever Kairi is!" Sora shouted irately, "whether it's on Earth, Radiant Garden or anywhere else."

"Perhaps," said Princess Kairi, "perhaps not. It may all come to nothing in the not too distant future."

"You mean the cursed nightmare," said Sora, "well, if you're so logical and reasonable, then why not help me fight it?"

"Why fight? The nightmare cannot be defeated," said Princess Kairi in a cold tone, "it has resisted every attempt made to dislodge itself from Kairi's mind, so why keep fighting? It would be better to merely allow it to finish what it started."

At that Sora glared hatefully at Princess Kairi, "you're lying! And you're not part of Kairi!"

"What do you mean?" Princess Kairi asked, "of course I am. I am one of the many aspects that make up Kairi's mind."

"No, you're not!" Sora shouted, "Kairi would never give up, even when things seem completely hopeless! You've got nothing to do with Kairi! So why don't you tell me who or what you really are?!"

At that Princess Kairi shimmered and was replaced by another version of Kairi, one that was shorter than Kairi really was, with oily, stringy hair, thin and fragile looking, with hollow eyes, while her clothes were damp.

"You're wrong, I am part of Kairi," the ragged girl said as she glared at Sora with hollowed eyes, "I am a new aspect of her heart. I am her dark side."

"That's impossible," said Sora, "Kairi's a Princess of Heart. There's not a speck of darkness in any part of her."

"There is now," said the darker version of Kairi, "the fear and anger stirred up by the cursed nightmare gave birth to me. I haven't fully taken root in her heart, yet. It's only a matter of time before I become a permanent part of her. She will no longer be a Princess of Heart, just an ordinary girl. Even if you break the curse, I'll still be in her, and in time, I will take full control of her heart and turn her into a creature of evil."

"I won't let that happen!" said Sora angrily, "I'll destroy the cursed nightmare before you dig too deep into her heart! I will save her!"

"If you can," said Dark Kairi, "it's a big place in here, you may not find the real Kairi before it's too late." With that she dark girl vanished.

"We'll see about that," said Sora. He then hurried through the changing environment of the dreamscape.

* * *

**…Yubaba's Bedchambers…**

"How long do you think this is going to take?" Chihiro asked.

"It's only been a minute or so," said Rapunzel.

"A minute for us," said Zeneba, "but several minutes for Sora. Time flows differently when in a dream."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Rapunzel asked.

"Just focus on getting your powers up to speed," said Yubaba, "that's all."

Just then the whole bathhouse shook from a massive impact on the shields.

"What was that?" Chihiro asked. The bathhouse shook again.

"That was a very big Heartless blowing up on the shields," said Eugene as he looked out the window.

* * *

**…The Bathhouse Foyer…**

"They're throwing Behemoths at us!" Aiden shouted as another giant, horned Heartless ran at the shields and self destructed upon impact, shaking the whole building again.

"At this rate, we'll be crushed!" said Jana.

"Not if I have to say anything about it!" Tara shouted as she pulled out her wand, _"Protego Maximum!" _A jet of magic shot from her wand and fused with the shields around the bathhouse. When the next Behemoth charged and self destructed against the shield, the ripples weren't as big and the building shook only slightly.

"That'll hold them off a little longer," said Tara, "but if they keep throwing Heartless at us, I doubt even Albus Dumbledore would hold them indefinitely."

"That's a bold statement," said Riku.

"Well, since we're gonna die anyway," said Toralei, "I might as well get it over with."

"Get what over with?" Malcolm asked.

"And we're not going to die," said Yusuke.

"You don't know that for sure," said Toralei. She then looked at Frankie, "you want to know what's bothering me? I'll tell you what's bothering me; Purrsephone and Meowlody kicked me out."

"What?" Frankie and Howleen asked.

"You heard me, my best fiends kicked me out of our apartment," said Toralei irately. She then looked ready to cry.

"I…I…what happened?" Frankie asked.

"I really don't know for sure," said Toralei, "remember back at The Crystal Palace, when I said that Meowlody and Purrsephone went home after the fight with The Monster Haters?"

"You said that they wanted to watch Nomie soap operas," said Howleen.

"That was a lie," said Toralei in a neutral tone, "my two best fiends, the ghouls whom I love like sisters, they…they abandoned me. They said they didn't want to get involved with Lucas and his junkie fanatics, where as I wanted to stop them and save Clair. I told them I was going to team up with Frankie and the others, whether they liked it or not. Meowlody and Purrsephone told me either I would go home with them or not come home at all. I thought they were bluffing, but after we stopped the Monster Haters, The Trix and Olaf, I called and they told me that they'd packed up all my stuff and changed the locks on our apartment."

"They can't do that!" Steven shouted, "they can't kick you out of your own home!"

"And they certainly can't change the locks," said Felicia, "not without permission from the building owner. And if you signed the lease, then…"

"Headmistress Bloodgood handled the lease and rent through a special fund provided by Monster High," said Toralei, "I called the Headmistress before I decided to join up on this mission. She told me she'd do what she could to get me my own apartment, but Meowlody and Purrsephone, they're no longer my friends."

"That's terrible!" said Tess.

"Don't I know it!?" Toralei exclaimed as she began crying, "those two and I have been through thick and thin since we were in juvie. We made a promise to stick together no matter what and they broke it! And I don't even know why! They were more than my friends, they were my were-sisters! And they abandoned me! Everyone abandons me! My parents, my littermates, the social welfare organization who tried to help me…"

"What social welfare organization?" Howleen asked.

"The social welfare organization that took one look at me and said I was a hopeless case and tossed me into jail!" said Toralei, "and I am hopeless!"

"No you're not!" said Frankie, "you're not hopeless and I'll prove it. You could have walked away any time when we were fighting Lucas, his junkie friends, The Trix and Olaf, but you didn't. You stuck with it till the end and saved Clair, Violet and myself. And I still owe you that $500 prepaid debit card, so don't give up on hope just yet."

"But what's going to happen to me?" Toralei asked, "everyone back at school hates my guts. Even Headmistress Bloodgood is losing patience with me."

"Maybe you should try not being such a bitch all the time," Howleen muttered.

"What?" Toralei asked angrily, "what did you say?"

"I'm saying if you stopped treating everyone like crap, more people would like you," said Howleen, "that's the truth and if you don't like it, then that's your problem."

"Maybe you should try being nicer to everyone," said Andy.

"Or maybe you just need to talk with the right people," said Kurama.

"What are you talking about?" Kuwabara asked.

"I think he means that she should see a shrink," said Yusuke.

"Not just a psychiatrist," said Kurama, "but a certified therapist whom specializes in juvenile depression, anxiety and other problems would be an important step forward."

"That and the right pills," said Malcolm as he took a dose of his anti-blackout medication.

"I'm sure Headmistress Bloodgood knows where to find a therapist for teen Monsters," said Frankie, "we'll make an appointment as soon as we get home, and we will get home."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Toralei asked, "I've done nothing to earn it."

"Whoever said kindness needed to be earned?" Frankie asked.

Just then three Behemoths charged at the bathhouse and self destructed upon impacting the shields, triggering a massive ripple in the shields and violently shaking the building.

"Okay, now we're in trouble," said Tara. She then raised her wand again, _"Protego Maximum!"_

But her reinforced shield only lasted a few seconds as more Behemoths rammed the shields.

"I can't keep the shields up!" Tara shouted as the building kept shaking, "I'm sorry, everyone."

"You've been wonderful," said Malcolm, "The Four Founders would be proud of you."

"Thanks," said a happily smiling Tara, "wait a second, that's it!" She then raised her wand again, _"Expecto Patronum!" _an enormous sparrow hawk made of pure happiness shot out from her wand and flew towards the next wave of incoming Behemoths, destroying the dark creatures before they reached the shields.

"How's that for a slice of fried gold?" Tara asked as she smiled confidently.

"I think you just challenged the baddies," said Julia as she looked out towards the wrecked restaurant district with a pair of binoculars, focusing on the covered platform where Maleficent, Regina and the other villains waited.

Just then, Chimera Mutant walked towards the bathhouse, taking its time as it relentlessly approached the building.

"He's surely enjoying himself," said Kuwabara.

"Why is that abomination just walking?" Mark asked, "why doesn't he run and get it over with? We're not going anywhere."

"That's precisely the point," said Hiei, "he's taking his time because we are not going anywhere. He knows we cannot run away, so he's pacing himself, keeping himself in plain sight in hopes of unnerving us."

"Well, he's not unnerving me!" said Howleen. She then walked out the front door and onto the red bridge, stopping just before the edge of the shields in the middle of the bridge. "Hey! You! Tall, dark and ugly!" she shouted to Chimera Mutant, "what's taking you so long?! Come on! We're ready for you!"

* * *

"That is one confident werewolf," said an impressed Brother Courtney.

"Her confidence is falsely place," said Grand Mutant Bishium, "she and her fellows will fall before the might of Gorgom!"

"Not before we get some of our needs taken care of," said Lady Tremaine. She and Gaston then got up and hurried to catch up with Chimera Mutant.

"If they think they can have all the fun, they're mistaken," said Dio Brando as he got up and hurried after them.

"This is becoming more entertaining by the moment," said Brother Courtney as he vanished his teacup and summoned a wineglass, which the servant girl filled.

"Perhaps," said Maleficent, "perhaps. Needless to say, I will be keeping a close eye on this scenario as it unfolds, as will I keep an eye on you."

"Me?" Brother Courtney asked, "what for? We're all friends here."

"Oh, please," said an annoyed Regina, "I for one trust you only as far as I can throw you without magic."

"You have absolutely no intention of allowing Gothel to become a goddess, do you," said Maleficent. "And there isn't even a ritual to make her a goddess, is there."

"Absolutely not," said Brother Courtney as he set his wineglass down, "this woman is completely out of her mind. Imagine her, an omnipotent deity, it'd be chaos on an unparallel level."

"Wouldn't Chernabog enjoy that?" Regina asked.

"Chernabog is an glutton," said Shadowcast.

"I almost forgot that you were here," said an intrigued Regina, "and you can speak more than two words and a time."

"When it suits me," said Shadowcast, "This endeavor of Dai-Shocker has nothing to do with Chernabog, nor does it have anything to do with making Gothel omnipotent."

"And I assume it also has nothing to do with providing Gorogm with a new Creation King?" Maleficent asked.

"Gorgom is but a means to an end," said Brother Courtney, "as is Gothel. Once they've achieved their objective, they will be cast aside."

"And what is their objective? Their true objective," said Regina, "wait," she then smiled wickedly, "it's all about Rapunzel. She's a Princess of Heart."

"One whose powers haven't fully awakened yet," said Brother Courtney, "and I intend to see that her powers never awaken, Chihiro's too."

"Who's Chihiro?" Regina asked.

"Another Princess of Heart whose powers are still dormant," said Brother Courtney, "and they will never awaken either."

"So, now the truth is revealed," said Maleficent, "this isn't about reviving Gorgom or creating a new god, it's about destroying two new Princesses of Heart and breaking the cycle."

"A new crisis is approaching," said Brother Courtney, "a storm is brewing on the horizon, a storm bigger and more devastating than anything before. The new Princesses of Heart will be essential to averting the crisis, so my true masters seek to destroy them before they meddle too much, and to eliminate The Keyblade Wielders as well."

"I thought you belonged to The Enigma Order and Dai-Shocker," said Regina.

"He does," said Shadowcast, "just as I am allied to Dai-Shocker. But we serve a greater set of masters, greater than Dai-Shocker, greater than even you, Maleficent, the so called mistress of all evil."

"I beg to differ," said Maleficent. "I shall destroy all whom challenge my supremacy."

"Keep dreaming," said Regina.

"Speak up, Regina!" said Maleficent, "I find it most irksome when people mumble in my prescience."

"I was just wondering where our trickster friend lays in this scenario," said Regina.

"As long as I have my revenge on Tess," said The Lord of Illusions, "I'll play whatever part is handed to me. I'll figure out what to do after that, but Tess will suffer her demise by my hand."

"Indeed," said Regina.

They then saw Chimera Mutant stop at the bottom of the bridge, glaring at Howleen.

"Well?" Howleen asked Chimera Mutant, "are you gonna fight? Or are you just going to stand there and gawk at me all day?"

As if in response, Chimera Mutant inhaled deeply and then unleashed a massive blast of energy from its mouth. The energy blast hit the shields and shattered them with an explosion that rocked the bathhouse down to its foundations, knocking our heroes to the floor.

* * *

**...Yubaba's bedchambers...**

Up in Yubaba's apartment, the witch twins, Rapunzel, Chihiro and Eugene were flung to the floor as the building shook violently.

"What was that!?" Chihiro asked as the shaking stopped.

"That was…not good," said Zeneba.

"I just know my insurance company is going to have a field day," said Yubaba.

"Why didn't the windows break?" Rapunzel asked as everyone got back up.

"I had new windows put in last year," said Zeneba, "with my own funds of course."

"You should have sent me the bill," said Yubaba.

"Look!" Chihiro asked as she saw Chimera crossing the scorched but intact bridge towards the unmoving Howleen.

"My god! That thing's gonna kill her!" exclaimed Rapunzel.

"That does it!" said Chihiro irately, "I'm going down there and fight that thing!"

"You do that and you'll be walking right into Columbina's hands!" exclaimed Alegra as she looked at her Mobile, "that's her plan all along! She set this all up to kill you and Rapunzel!"

"How do you know that?" Eugene asked.

"I have my sources," said Alegra, "Columbina arranged for Gorgom, Dai-Shocker and all the other villains to be here to kill two potential Princesses of Heart before their powers wake up."

"Our powers are already awake," said Chihiro.

"Mine's almost awake," said Rapunzel.

"It won't matter if Columbina's forces break in and kill you," said Alegra, "Riku and the others will be alright."

"They're still trying to get back up," said Zeneba as she looked into a crystal ball that showed the lobby, where Riku and the others were struggling to regain their stamina and rush to Howleen's aid, but Chimera Mutant had already reached her.

"Oh no! She's done for!" said Rapunzel.

"Not just yet," said Alegra, "my second ace is just about to arrive."

They then saw Chimera Mutant grab Howleen by the neck, raise her up and began strangling her.

"Damn you, Alegra!" Yubaba shouted, "Do something!"

"I already did," said Alegra.

* * *

**...Outside...**

A portal opened up several yards from the area and from it emerged Minami Kotaro, riding on Battle Hopper. He drove the grasshopper-like motorcycle at top speed towards Chimera Mutant from the side and hit the creature, knocking it away from Howleen. Kotaro then caught Howleen before the hit the ground.

"Howleen!" Frankie shouted as she and the others ran up as the bike stopped and the man helped Howleen to her feet.

"I'm okay," she said in a slightly raspy voice, "I had that thing right where I wanted it."

"Yeah, and I'm the Duke of Earl," said Mark sarcastically.

"Yeah, well," said Howleen, "I could have at least ripped that thing's eyes out," she then looked at Kotaro, "but thanks. I owe you one."

"You're welcome," said Kotaro. He then introduced himself.

"Howleen Wolf," said the teen werewolf.

"Oh, you're the guy who beat Gorgom!" said Aiden.

"Yeah, but in a different universe," said Kotaro, "and this is a different Gorgom than the one I fought," he then looked at his motorcycle, "isn't that right, Battle Hopper?" at that the grasshopper-like bike revved its engine in affirmation.

Just then Chimera Mutant got up, just as The Three Grand Mutants ran into the area.

"BLACK SUN!" exclaimed an outraged Grand Mutant Bishium, "how dare you show your face when we are but moments away from triumph!?"

"You have hastened your doom, Minami Kotaro!" said an irate Grand Mutant Darom, "once we have our new King Stones and raised up a new Creation King, you will be destroyed!"

"Not if I destroy you first, Gorgom!" said Kotaro as he glared hatefully at The Three Grand Mutants, "I defeated you on my world and I'll defeat you on this one! No matter the place or the time, so long as you or any evil threatens the peace and happiness of innocent lives, I'll fight until I can fight no more!"

"Mind if we help?" Toralei asked, "we kind of have a bone to pick with these jerks."

"They want to tear down this wonderful establishment in order to get to the King Stones," said Julia.

"And rip Yubaba apart," said Yusuke, "not that I wouldn't mind, she's not exactly a nice person."

"You really are a jerk, Urameshi," said Kuwabara, "anyway, you take the big ugly one," he pointed at Grand Mutant Darom, "I'll take the little ugly one," he then pointed at Grand Mutant Baraom.

"What about the other ugly one?" said Hiei asked as he pointed at Grand Mutant Bishium.

"We'll take that one," said Tess, while Naminé, Julia and Felicia nodded in agreement, "we know you don't fight girls."

"That ain't no girl!" said Kuwabara, "I just want to take out that jerk there," he then pointed to Dio Brando as he, Lady Tremaine and Gaston ran into the area.

"I think we're going to have to reorganize who's fighting who," said Mark.

"I'll take on all of you!" said Gaston irately, "I'll rip your bodies apart bit by bit!"

"And I'll destroy your souls with utter despair!" shouted Lady Tremaine.

"I just want to kill some of you little idiots," said Dio Brando.

"Not if we finish you first!" said Riku, "you've been causing trouble enough as it is!"

"This time we finish you all for good!" said Roxas.

"Enough of this nonsense!" shouted Grand Mutant Darom, "we want those King Stones and we will have them!"

"Not today, Gorgom!" shouted Kotaro, "not tomorrow, not ever!" He then twisted his upper torso to the right and crossed his wrists, his hands gripping into tight fists. Kotaro then shot his left arm up at an angle, then brought it down to his side in a fist, while his right hand was held up at an angle. Kotaro then brought his right hand over in an arc, "Hen…Shin!" then switch both hands to the other side.

A futuristic transformation belt with a spinning red crystal materialized around his waist that emitted flashing white and red energy. Then with a flash of green energy, Kotaro was encased in black armor with red and yellow stripes, a white curving mark on the left side of the chest plate and an insect-like head with a steel-gray mouth guard, red faceted eyes and two antenna.

"Kamen Rider…Black!"

"Wow!" said an amazed Riku, while the others looked equally awed.

"Damn you, Minami Kotaro!" shouted Grand Mutant Baraom, "today you die!"

"Get them!" Grand Mutant Darom shouted. With that the Grand Mutants, Chimera Mutant, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine and Gaston, ran at our heroes, whom charged at the villains.

* * *

**…Kairi's dreamscape…**

After wandering around familiar and unfamiliar settings, Sora was no closer to finding either the real Kairi or the cursed nightmare.

But then, as Sora was running through the streets of Radiant Garden that were colored like a photo negative, he heard a familiar scream on the wind.

"Hang on, Kairi!" Sora shouted, "I'm coming!" he then ran towards the castle and to his shock, he saw Kairi, clothed entirely in white, being cornered against the walls of the castle by the tentacle creature that looked like him, while zombie-versions of Riku and the others were closing in. The version of Kairi in white radiated with an inner light, but a black aura surrounded her, an aura that dripped with unadulterated fear.

"Hey!" Sora shouted to the tentacle creature with his face, "leave her alone!" with that he summoned his Keyblade and rushed at his demonic doppelganger.

**The end of chapter 8.**

_Next chapter finds Sora receiving unexpected help inside Kairi's mind, while things heat up even more out in the real world. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	10. Chapter 9: Battles Within and Without

_Last time found Sora finally entering the mind of Kairi in hopes of destroying the cursed nightmare, while Rapunzel and Chihiro stood ready in the real world to heal the damage inflicted on Kairi. Meanwhile Riku, Yusuke and the others battled the Grand Mutants of Gorgom and the other villains outside the bathhouse and were nearly defeated, when Alegra's second ace, Minami Kotaro, showed up to help turn the tide._

_(Note to all you Bronies out there. I wrote this chapter before seeing Equestria Girls, so the fact that humans are known in Equestria before Twilight crossed over into the human world and became a human wasn't factored in to this fic. I apologize whole heartedly if this offends any fans of the show so please don't overwelm my reviews page with negative comments, I'm just trying to tell a good story.)_

_(Another note: To all whom have been asking me to include _Inuyasha_. The answer is no. I didn't like Inuyasha nor will I use it in any of my stories, end of discussion, so **please,** in the name of sanity, **stop** asking me.)_

_(Third and last note, I've reuploaded this chapter to fix two crucial mistakes that I missed in editing.)_

_With that saying, on with the show!_

**Chapter 9: Battles Within and Without**

After wandering around familiar and unfamiliar settings, Sora was no closer to finding either the real Kairi or the cursed nightmare.

But then, as Sora was running through the streets of Radiant Garden that were colored like a photo negative, he heard a familiar scream on the wind.

"Hang on, Kairi!" Sora shouted, "I'm coming!" he then ran towards the castle and to his shock, he saw Kairi, clothed entirely in white, being cornered against the walls of the castle by the tentacle creature that looked like him, while zombie-versions of Riku and the others were closing in. The version of Kairi in white radiated with an inner light, but a black aura surrounded her, an aura that dripped with unadulterated fear.

"Hey!" Sora shouted to the tentacle creature with his face, "leave her alone!" with that he summoned his Keyblade and rushed at his demonic doppelganger. The dark creature was just inches from Kairi.

"I said leave her alone!" Sora shouted as he threw his Keyblade at his demonic doppelganger. The Keyblade struck the creature across the head and knocked it down, while the zombies all turned around and saw Sora.

"That's right!" said Sora as he caught his Keyblade, "I'm your opponent now! So come and get me!"

The zombie version of Riku moaned loudly and the other zombies lumbered towards Sora.

"If you think that just because you look like my friends, I won't fight," said Sora, "think again!" he then rushed at the zombies and one by one, bashed their heads in. Their undead brains suffering catastrophic damage, the zombies collapsed to the ground like the lifeless lumps of flesh they were.

"And now for you, worm face!" Sora shouted at the tentacle creature, whom had gotten back up and was glaring hatefully at him. The creature then spoke in a language Sora couldn't understand, but Sora got the gist of it.

"Yeah, you'll rip me apart and eat my soul," said Sora, "I'll still finish you off! Just stay back, Kairi, I'll be through with this thing in no time. Kairi? Kairi?"

But Kairi didn't hear him. She had curled into the fetal position on the ground and was trembling with fear.

Sora then narrowly missed a claw swipe from the tentacle creature, then dodged a blast of dark energy from its eyes.

"Take this!" Sora shouted as he shot a Thunder spell at the creature, but it dodged the bolt of lightning, then countered with another blast of dark energy that Sora barely dodged.

"This is gonna take a little longer than I thought," said Sora. He then saw that more zombie copies of his friends were approaching the area, some of them shuffling towards him, the rest moving towards the helpless Kairi.

"Oh man! That's not fair!" said Sora as he dodged another blast of dark energy, then dodged the grasping hands of zombie Riku, zombie Tess and zombie Aiden, while more and more zombie copies appeared.

"Okay, I'm now officially in trouble!" Sora said as he bashed in more zombie heads and dodged more dark energy blasts.

* * *

A short distance away there was a flash of shimmering energy and seven individuals appeared, the foremost of them being Luna and Twilight Sparkle.

With Luna and Twilight were five more Ponies. The first was an Earth Pony with an orange coat, green eyes and a blond tail and mane tied up in braids and wore a cowboy hat. Her cutie mark was represented by three red apples and around her neck was a gold necklace with a green and orange crystal apple set into it. She had a kind, helpful and reliable personality, one whom holds the value of hard work dear to her heart, a bit of a stubborn and prideful streak, but was always loyal to her friends and loved ones. Her name is Applejack.

The second was a Pegasus Pony with a light yellow coat and wings with blue green eyes and a pink mane and tail. Her cutie mark was represented by two pink butterflies and around her neck was a gold necklace set with a pink butterfly crystal. She possessed a sweet, calm and considerate personality, very shy and somewhat withdrawn, but possessed great reserves of courage that she could call upon when needed. Her name is Fluttershy

The third was a another Earth Pony with a pink coat with a mane and tail in curly, slightly darker pink and had blue eyes. Her cutie mark was represented by balloons and confetti and around her neck was a gold necklace set with a blue balloon crystal. She had a hyperactive, random and somewhat silly personality, one whom values friendship and always tried to make those around her smile, as well as possessing a love for practical jokes, baked goods and just about anything with sugar in it. Her name is Pinkie Pie.

The fourth was another Pegasus Pony with a sky-blue coat and wings, magenta eyes and a rainbow-colored mane and tail. Her cutie mark was represented by a cloud with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt. She wore a gold necklace with a red thunderbolt-shaped gem similar to her cutie mark. She was extremely brave and bold, rash, often acts without fully thinking the situation through and possessed a love of danger, yet she was always there for her friends. Her name is Rainbow Dash.

The fifth was a Unicorn Pony with silvery-white coat, blue eyes with pronounced eyelashes and a royal blue mane and tail. Her cutie mark was represented by three diamonds and around her neck was a gold necklace set with a purple, diamond-shaped crystal. She was one whom valued proper manners, sophistication, had a flair for drama, was somewhat vain and a bit of a glory hog, but was always willing to sacrifice her personal needs for those of her friends. He name is Rarity.

"Sweet mama!" said Applejack, speaking in a Midwestern accent, "what a trip."

"Oh! Let's do it again!" said Pinkie Pie in an overeager tone, "but this time we'll all raise our hooves and shout 'YAY!' like we're all on a carnival ride!"

"Hey, we just got here," said Rainbow Dash.

"Transporting our minds across time and space, not my idea of a leisurely activity," said Rarity.

"We're not here for fun, every-pony," said Twilight Sparkle, "Alegra said we're supposed to help Sora save Kairi from a demonic nightmare."

"Yeah, remind we again why we're doing this?" Rainbow Dash asked as she flapped her wings and hovered in midair, "I mean, just what are we doing here?"

"We're here to help save the mind and heart of an innocent girl," said Luna, "her one true love is battling the cursed nightmare as we speak."

"I'm not saying we shouldn't help," said Rainbow Dash, "but just why are we doing what this Alegra asked? It's not like humans come to Equestria every day, you know."

"I have to agree," said Rarity, "humans aren't exactly the most trustworthy of creatures."

"Oh, you've been reading too many old horror books, Rarity," said Pinkie Pie, "now, the humans I read about, they know how to party!"

"Uh, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked in a quiet tone.

"I just want to know why we should trust Alegra?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I trust Alegra Wells with my life," said Luna, "I knew her long before your ancestors were born."

"And I trust her too," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Uh…Twilight?" Fluttershy asked again, but she was still ignored.

"Well, I for one fail to see what we can do inside the dream of another," said Rarity, "let alone the dreams of a human."

"I've never even seen a human," said Rainbow Dash, "oh sure, you hear stuff about them now and then, and then there's those weirdoes over in Dream Valley across the ocean. I wasn't there when those psychics visited Canterlot but from what I heard, they were weird."

"Hey, don't you be harping on Dream Valley!" said Applejack irately, "I've got a cousin there I never even knew was alive!"

"And so does Spike," said Twilight Sparkle, "can you believe it? Two dragons whom look almost exactly alike, with the same name no less. What are the chances of that?"

"Uh…Twilight?" Fluttershy asked for a third time.

"Okay, putting humans and trust aside," said Rainbow Dash, "just where is that… girl and boy we're supposed to help?"

"The mind of any creature can be infinite," said Luna, "Sora and Kairi could be anywhere."

"You mean we're lost?!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, "are we gonna be wandering around here forever!?"

"We're not lost!" said an annoyed Twilight Sparkle, "and we can get back home," she then looked at Luna, "right?"

"Of course," said Luna, "the spell I used to transport our minds is completely reversible, which I will reverse once our mission is accomplished."

"Twilight!?" Fluttershy asked in a slightly more forceful tone as she tapped Twilight Sparkle's shoulder with her front hoof.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Um…well, I could be wrong," said Fluttershy in an uncertain tone, "but I think the people we're supposed to help are over there," she then pointed with her hoof to where Sora was battling the zombies and the tentacle creature, as well as the unmoving Kairi.

"Good grief! Look at those things!" said a startled Applejack as she pointed at the zombies and the tentacle creature, "and I thought Timberwolves were nasty!"

"They're the walking dead!" said Luna, "decaying abominations with only the flesh of the living on their minds!"

"You mean they're gonna eat us!?" Rainbow Dash asked in a slightly nervous tone, while Fluttershy gave a frightened squeak and hid behind her.

"They're not gonna eat us, silly," said Pinkie Pie as she smiled confidently, "and they're not that scary."

"I don't think laughing at them will make them go away, Pinkie," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Then what will?" Rarity asked in an uncomfortable tone, "I'd rather not touch those things."

"What about ol' tentacle face there?" Applejack asked as she indicated the creature shooting dark energy blasts at Sora.

"I'd rather not touch that slimy thing either," said Rarity in a disgusted tone, "can you imagine how many baths I'd have to take just to get the stench of that creature out of my mane?"

"Never mind the stench!" said Luna, "we're here to save two innocent hearts from the darkness."

"You'd better believe it, we're gonna save them!" said Rainbow Dash boldly, "so, what's the plan?"

"We start by getting those undead abominations away from Sora!" said Luna, "Twilight! Together!"

"You got it!" said Twilight Sparkle. With that her horn and Luna's horn glowed with their respective magic, sending a double blast at the zombies, destroying several of them and allowing Sora enough room to destroy more and get out of blasting range of the tentacle creature. But then more zombies showed up.

"Hey! That's not fair!" said Rainbow Dash irately. She then took flight again and shot towards the zombies, moving so fast she was barely more than a rainbow-colored streak. She passed over a group of zombies so fast that the air displacement knocked them onto their heads. Their skulls cracked and damaged their undead brains, rendering them inert.

"Save some for the rest of us!" shouted Applejack. She then ran at the zombies, turned around and kicked one with her hind legs with enough force to shatter it into rotting bits.

By then Sora had realized that he wasn't alone in fighting the dark creatures, but he then dodged another claw strike from his demonic doppelganger. Sora then tripped on a rock and fell on his back, allowing the tentacle creature to close in for the kill.

"No you don't!" shouted Twilight Sparkle as she and Luna shot another blast of magic, hitting the tentacle creature and launching it over the horizon.

"That's what you get for hurting innocent people," said Twilight Sparkle as she, Luna, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy ran up to Sora, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack took out the remaining zombies.

"Are you alright, Sora?" Luna asked.

"I…uh, yeah, I'm fine," said Sora hesitantly as he looked at the seven Ponies, "thanks. Um…this is kind of a stupid question, but are you from Dream Valley?"

"We're from the same world as Dream Valley," said Twilight Sparkle, "but a different country." She and the other Ponies then introduced themselves to Sora.

"You probably met my distant cousin," said Applejack.

"I think I did," said Sora. He then blinked in worried surprise, "oh no, Kairi!" he and the Ponies rushed over to Kairi, whom was still curled up and trembling. Sora pulled her to a seating position, "Kairi! It's me! It's Sora! Kairi!"

But Kairi just sat there, a blank look on her face, her eyes empty and her skin cold to the touch.

"She's retreated deep within herself," said Luna, "unchecked fear can do terrible things to the mind and heart."

"It's that cursed nightmare," said Sora, "it messed her up real bad." He then saw to his horror that Kairi's hands were slightly transparent, "what…what's happening to her?"

"Her light is being snuffed out," said Dark Kairi as she walked up to the group. The dark girl was looking more alive than when Sora first saw her; slightly taller, more filled out under her skin and a vile gleam in her eyes.

"That girl there is the representation of Kairi's light," said Dark Kairi, "the curse has inflicted so much fear, so much despair, that the light in Kairi's heart is fading away. Soon, that girl will be nothing but a memory, and I shall take control."

"Over my dead body!" said Sora as he pointed his Keyblade at Dark Kairi, "the curse is gone. As soon as Rapunzel is ready, she and Chihiro will heal Kairi's mind and heart!"

"Uh, Sora?" said Twilight Sparkle hesitantly, "we didn't get rid of the curse, we only sent it away."

"The creature will return," said Luna, "and it will use all of its power to destroy us."

"Assuming I don't destroy you first!" said Dark Kairi as she summoned a black version of Kairi's Keyblade.

"I don't think that was in the plan," said Twilight Sparkle as she and the others looked nervously at the dark Keyblade wielded by Dark Kairi.

* * *

**…Outside the bathhouse…**

"Enough of this nonsense!" shouted Grand Mutant Darom, "we want those King Stones and we will have them!"

"Not today, Gorgom!" shouted Kotaro, "not tomorrow, not ever!" He then twisted his upper torso to the right and crossed his wrists, his hands gripping into tight fists. Kotaro then shot his left arm up at an angle, then brought it down to his side in a fist, while his right hand was held up at an angle. Kotaro then brought his right hand over in an arc, "Hen…Shin!" then switch both hands to the other side.

A futuristic transformation belt with a spinning red crystal materialized around his waist that emitted flashing white and red energy. Then with a flash of green energy, Kotaro was encased in black armor with red and yellow stripes, a white curving mark on the left side of the chest plate and an insect-like head with a steel-gray mouth guard, red faceted eyes and two antenna.

"Kamen Rider…Black!"

"Wow!" said an amazed Riku, while the others looked equally awed.

"Damn you, Minami Kotaro!" shouted Grand Mutant Baraom, "today you die!"

"Get them!" Grand Mutant Darom shouted. With that the Grand Mutants, Chimera Mutant, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine and Gaston, ran at our heroes, whom charged at the villains.

The two opposing groups clashed with a fury of punches, kicks and Keyblade strikes, with Kamen Rider Black fighting Chimera Mutant, Riku, Tess and Aiden fighting Grand Mutant Darom, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé facing Grand Mutant Baraom, Jana, Hezekiah, Frankie and Andy fighting Grad Mutant Bishium, Tara dueling Maleficent, Felicia, Steven, Mark and Julia fighting Dio Brando, Yusuke fighting Shadowcast, Kuwabara fighting Gaston, Toralei and Howleen fighting Lady Tremaine, while Brother Courtney, The Lord of Illusions and Regina waiting on the sidelines for an opening. Hiei and Kurama were busy slaying the fresh waves of Heartless and demons that had been summoned.

"You cannot win, miserable humans!" Grand Mutant Darom shouted as he endured a Keyblade strike from Riku, then dodged an alchemic blast from Aiden, then threw a punch at Tess. The trilobite-like creature then shot several rope-like beams of energy from his clawed hands at Tess. She barely rolled out of the way, then countered by throwing her Keyblade at the creature, but Grand Mutant Darom took it as if it were nothing more than a love tap.

"We can certainly try!" Malcolm shouted as he cast a curse at Grand Mutant Baraom, but the Simoldon-like creature dodged it and then struck at Malcolm so fast, he could barely defend himself. Grand Mutant Baraom then pulled out a tusk-like spear and stabbed at Namine, but Roxas blocked the spear, but then was nearly impaled himself.

"You will fail!" shouted Grand Mutant Bishium. She then shot a laser blast from her eyes at Hezekiah, whom barely dodged the bolts of deadly energy. The pterosaur-like creature then took flight and nearly grabbed Frankie, whom rolled out of the way and sent a bolt of electricity at the creature, but missed. Andy tried to grab Grand Mutant Bishium, but the creature was too fast and he would up being kicked in the head.

"I don't know about you kids," said Dio Brando as he easily dodged and blocked everything Mark, Felicia, Steven and Julia sent at him, even catching Julia's bullets and enduring Felicia's knives while receiving only scratches, "but I'm having a ball." He then grabbed Mark and threw him at Steven, the two male Meta Humans colliding and collapsing onto the ground.

"Your idea of fun and mine are completely different!" said Felicia as she threw a double handful of knives at Dio Brando, whom caught them all and then pulled out even more from his coat pockets and threw them all at Felicia. She dodged most of them, but wound up being cut several times on her arms, legs and one long gash across her lower jaw.

"Is it me or are these guys stronger than before!?" Yusuke asked as he dodged a fog tendril from Shadowcast.

"I hate it when they do that!" Kuwabara shouted as dodged a destruction beam from Gaston, then had to dodge a torment beam from Lady Tremaine, then dodged Toralei and Howleen, whom were just trying to get out of the way.

"It is useless to resist!" Maleficent shouted as she traded curses with Tara, "surrender Yubaba and Rapunzel!"

"Over my dead body!" Tara shouted as she tied the Jelly-Legs jinx, but Maleficent blocked it with a wave of her hand. Tara then blocked a green fireball with a shield charm, then tried a full body bind, which Maleficent blocked.

"You think your pathetic spells can stand against the mistress of all evil?!" Maleficent asked as she shot a bolt of purple lightning at Tara, whom barely got her wand up in time to block it. "Not even your precious Harry Potter could defeat me!"

"I never said I was Harry Potter!" Tara shouted as she blocked another green fireball, "I'm just a humble witch whom was born with a lot of courage, perseverance, wisdom and cunning!"

"As if those virtues will help you!" Maleficent shouted as she sent a double blast of dark lightning at Tara that forced her to dodge, only to trip on a rock and fall on her side.

Maleficent then summoned a large boulder and made it hover above Tara. "I expected more from a student of Hogwarts," said Maleficent in a contemptuous tone, "you are correct in one fact; you are not Harry Potter." With that she released the hover spell on the boulder, sending it hurtling towards Tara.

But then Kamen Rider Black got in front of Tara, jumped up and delivered a massive chop to the boulder before it hit the ground, "Rider Chop!" splitting the oversized rock in half. The two pieces landed on either side of Tara, leaving her completely unharmed.

"Thanks," said Tara as she got back up, "you are strong."

"Impossibly strong," said a slightly unnerved Maleficent, "that boulder was made of pure marble!"

"His chops can cut through 100 meters of solid steel!" shouted Brother Courtney as he, Regina and The Lord of Illusions waited on the sidelines, "it'll take more than a big rock to destroy that hero."

"It will take a lot to stop me," said Kamen Rider Black, "more than you have! As long as there are those whom take pleasure in inflicting pain on innocent souls, as long as there are those whom profit from the misfortune of others, so long as the dark threatens the light, I will fight!"

But then he was tackled by Chimera Mutant and the two of them resumed punching and kicking at each other.

"Typical heroic rhetoric," said Maleficent in a contemptuous tone, "you know nothing of the truth, of reality. No matter how much you resist, all your efforts are in vain, for darkness will always extinguish light, it is inevitable."

"Extinguish this!" Tara shouted as she shot a beam of red magic at Maleficent, whom countered with a beam of green magic. The two beams met in the middle and tried to overpower each other, with Maleficent's beam forcing Tara's back.

* * *

**…Yubaba's bedchamber…**

"I think you're just about ready," said Zeneba to Rapunzel.

"I hope so," said Rapunzel as she looked at the unconscious Sora and Kairi, "I really don't want to mess this up."

"Hey, you're not going to mess this up," said Eugene, "I'll bet you'll be a better healer than ever before."

"You know, when you say that, it really makes be believe it," said Rapunel as she smiled at her husband.

"Then there's nothing more to do but wait until Sora is ready for us," said Alegra, "I just hope Luna and the others get to him in time."

"You never did tell us how you got to know Luna and Celestia," said Zeneba.

"It's a long story," said Alegra. She then looked around the room, "wait, where's Chihiro?"

"Chihiro?" Zeneba asked as she, Yubaba, Rapunzel and Eugene looked around, "she…she's not here."

"She probably stepped out to use the bathroom," said Yubaba, "and I don't blame here. All of this has worn me out, I could use some freshing up."

"Wait, what's that outside?" Eugene asked as he looked out the window to the battle below.

"I don't think are friends our doing so well," said Rapunzel as she and the others looked out the window.

"Give them credit," said Alegra, "Riku and the others will triumph and…wait, that…it is! That's Chihiro down there!" she then pointed down to where Chihiro was running across the bridge and heading towards Maleficent and Tara.

"She didn't!" exclaimed an outranged Yubaba, "that idiotic little human! She's going to fight!"

"What!?" Zeneba exclaimed, "she can't! How can she even think about putting herself at risk like that?"

"She's doing what she thinks is right," said Alegra, albeit in a reluctant tone, "she's helping her friends, which is what any Princess of Heart would do."

"I'd do the same," said Rapunzel in a determined tone, "now, where did I put that frying pan? Eugene? Where's the frying pan?"

"You're not going anywhere," said Yubaba sternly, "it's bad enough that Sen is risking her life."

"At least I have a spell that can teleport her back up here if she's in too much trouble," said Zeneba as she summoned a spell scroll.

"But what is she going to do?" Rapunzel asked as she looked around the room, "what did I do with that frying pan?"

"I think Lin took it to get it washed," said Zeneba, "it was getting a little dirty."

"Oh, well, alright," said Rapunzel.

"Look!" said Eugene as he pointed down at the battlefield, where Chihiro just ran up and tackled Maleficent, breaking the opposing beams of magic before Tara's could be forced back into her wand.

"I can't believe she took Maleficent by surprise like that," said an impressed Yubaba.

"I can't believe she's giving Maleficent such a sound thrashing," said an impressed Zeneba.

* * *

Sure enough, Chihiro was delivering punch after punch to Maleficent, severely cutting and bruising her, giving Tara a chance to catch her breath. Yet the dark magic user endured the blows as if they were nothing, as if she felt no pain at all.

"Get off of me, you insolent girl!" exclaimed Maleficent after taking a particularly nasty punch to her left eye, after which a brilliantly purple shiner appeared.

"Not until you surrender, you evil, evil woman!" Chihiro shouted. She then delivered a punch to Maleficent's jaw, knocking out two permanent teeth.

"The mistress of all evil never surrenders!" Maleficent shouted as blood ran between her lips, "especially to a disgusting human girl like you!"

"I'll show you who's disgusting!" Chihiro shouted as she reached back her right fist for another punch. But then she screamed in pain as her left hand was engulfed in green flames. She recoiled away from Maleficent and tried to beat the flames out, but her hand continued to burn.

"Miserable wretch!" said Maleficent as she stood up and straightened her necklace, the green crystal shard glowing with an insidious light.

"What did you do to me!?" Chihiro shouted as she beat her hand against the ground to smother the green fire, but her hand still burned.

"I did nothing," said Maleficent smugly, "you happened to put your hand where it wasn't wanted."

"Hold still!" Tara shouted as she ran over and pointed her wand at Chihiro's hand, _"Aguamenti!" _a fountain of clear water jetted from her wand and extinguished the green fire. When the water had stopped flowing, Chihiro and Tara were surprised to see that the hand was only moderately burned, mostly 1st degree burns with one spot on her palm suffering a 2nd degree.

"I must have grabbed that crystal without thinking about it," said Chihiro.

"I'm no healer, but it doesn't look too bad," said Tara.

"It hurts a lot more than it looks," said Chihiro.

"I'm afraid you'll suffer far worse before you die!" said Maleficent. She then summoned a massive green fireball and threw it at Tara and Chihiro.

"_Protega Maximum!"_ shouted Tara, casting her shield charm just in time to intercept the oversized fireball. The green flames exploded upon impact with enough force to knock Chihiro and Tara to the ground.

"I will admit, my assessment of you has improved, little witch," said Maleficent, "and you, child," she pointed at Chihiro, "you actually damaged my host body. I commend you," she then charged up another oversized fireball, "now die!" she then threw the fireball at Tara and Chihiro, whom were too disoriented to move.

But then an enormous white, Chinese dragon with white scales and a wolf-like head with long horns, bird-like claws, a green mane and tail and long whiskers, got in front of Chihiro and Tara and breath a white fireball at the green fireball, with the two fireballs canceling each other out.

"What is this!?" exclaimed Maleficent.

"Yeah, what gives?" Tara asked as she and Chihiro got up.

"I'll tell you what gives," said a surprised yet joyful Chihiro, "that's Haku!"

The white dragon then morphed into a teenaged boy, about seventeen or so, with shoulder-length green hair, blue eyes and wearing a white shirt and blue trousers. He looked at Chihiro and smiled, "hello, Chihiro."

"Hi, Haku," said a smiling Chihiro. With that she and Haku embraced.

* * *

**…Yubaba's bedchambers…**

"I don't believe it," said Yubaba as she glared down at Chihiro and Haku, "that upstart, ungrateful, disrespectful boy came back!"

"Isn't that the kid whom helped Chihiro get her parents back?" Eugene asked, "isn't he supposed to be some kind of river spirit or something?"

"He's a river dragon whom had his river destroyed," said Zeneba, "Haku came to my sister to learn magic and she took advantage of his displaced situation."

"I saw a valuable assistant in him," said Yubaba as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "it's not my fault he was too ambitious to read the fine print on his contract. I'm just surprised that he had the gall to return." She then glared at Alegra, "you brought him back, didn't you!? He's one of your aces, right?"

"No, he's not," said Alegra, "although I admit I should have thought of seeking him out. Sometimes it helps to have a fifth ace up your sleeve."

"That's cheating," said Rapunzel.

"Sometimes the only way to win is to cheat," said Alegra, "but I didn't this time. No, Haku came back on his own free will. He came back for love."

* * *

"How sickening," said Maleficent.

"Empty words from an empty heart," said Haku as he and Chihiro glared defiantly at Maleficent, "a creature so twisted by the darkness such as you could never understand true happiness."

"In other words," said Chihiro, "_you're_ sick."

"And a thief!" said Tara in a contemptuous tone, "that green stone around her neck, it's a Horcrux!"

"A what?" Chihiro asked.

"A Horcrux," said Tara as she glared hatefully at Maleficent, "an item tainted by dark magic to hold a fragment of a soul for safe keeping. It's what Voldemort did."

"A crude analogy," said Maleficent as she touched the green stone, "yet not entirely accurate. The stone holds no mere fragment of my soul but all of it."

"Which is possessing that innocent girl and forcing her to commit acts of pure villainy!" said Haku, "I can't let this go on any further!"

"As if you can stop me!" said Maleficent as she charged up another green fireball and threw it at Haku.

Just then Tess, whom had broke away from the fight with Grand Mutant Darom, ran up and swatted the fireball away with her Keyblade. "I finally got you right where I want!" she said, "I'm gonna free Penny Dubois from your clutches!"

"Insolent girl!" Maleficent spat, "your friend no longer exists! I control this body in every respect!"

"I don't believe it!" said Tess defiantly, "there's got to be a way to free Penny and I will find it!"

"Destroy that green stone!" shouted Tess, "that's the real Maleficent! Destroy it and you finish her for good!"

"So that's how you survived!" said Tess. She then smiled, "destroy the stone, easy enough."

"As you are already aware," said Maleficent, "I am quite difficult to destroy! Even if you do evict me from my host, which will leave it an empty shell, I still have two more resurrections. I will return stronger than ever!"

"We'll see about that!" Tess shouted as she rushed at Maleficent, then feinted to the left and went invisible.

"Hiding in plain sight, are we?!" Maleficent shouted, "then hide from this!" she then shot out multiple bolts of black lightning all around, but then Tess appeared behind her, her Keyblade raised to deliver a knockout strike that wouldn't hurt Penny's body too much.

But then when Tess brought her Keyblade down, it passed right through Maleficent. "What!?" a confused an outraged Tess asked as she swung her Keyblade again at Maleficent, only for Maleficent to vanish.

"What are you doing, Tess!?" Chihiro shouted, "Maleficent's over there!"

"What?" Tess asked as she looked around and saw that Maleficent was three yards to her left, "That's impossible! How did I miss?" She then saw a knife thrown towards her. She dodged the blade, then ducked a sword strike from The Lord of Illusions, "YOU!"

"Yes, me," said the vile trickster as he struck at Tess again, "me, myself and I. It's time we finished things between us."

"I never liked unfinished business," said Tess as she struck back with her Keyblade, but the vile trickster blocked it.

"Well," said Regina as she and Brother Courtney, walked up to Maleficent, "isn't this something," she then looked at Maleficent, "you look as if you're in need of a long holiday."

"Or a doctor," said Brother Courtney, "but that's just my opinion."

"You are trying my patience, monk," said Maleficent, "while I cannot feel the pain of my host's injuries, it is still damaged. Where were you, and you, Regina, when I was being assaulted!"

"Waiting for an opening, of course," said Regina, "still haven't found it, though. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Gothel's inside the bathhouse."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Chihiro.

"Oh, yeah," said Regina, "she too was waiting for the right moment to sneak in. It came while you all were so adamantly attempting to destroy each other. Now Gothel has the opening she seeks. She will find Rapunzel and cut out her heart!"

"No!" shouted Chihiro, "I won't let you do that!" she then started to run back to the bathhouse, but then Brother Courtney got in front of her.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but I cannot allow that," said the insidious monk. He then raised his hand and sent a psychic blast at Chihiro, whom barely got out of the way, only to dodge another psychic blast.

"Chihiro!" shouted Haku as he rushed to help her, but had to dodge a red fireball that Regina threw at him.

"Sorry, loverboy," said Regina, "but you've got me to deal with now."

"And do not think we haven't finished our duel, little witch!" Maleficent shouted at Tara.

"It will be finished!" said Tara defiantly, "now that I've a chance to catch my breath, I'm prepared to see our duel until the end!" she then held her wand out in a saluting gesture and bowed, while Maleficent bowed in return.

* * *

**…Yubaba's bathhouse…**

"That scurvy bastard!" shouted Zeneba as she glared down at The Lord of Illusions, "Tess almost had Maleficent on the ropes and that color-changing maniac ruined everything!"

"It wouldn't have made a difference if Tess wasn't interrupted," said Alegra, "it's simply not her destiny to destroy Maleficent."

"Oh really?" Yubaba asked, "and pray tell, just who is destined to destroy that out of control lunatic?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," said Alegra, "because I simply don't know. Even with all my powers and skills at time travel, dimension hopping and meddling, the eventual fate of Maleficent still eludes me."

"Yes, well, you will at least drop us a hint if you ever catch a glimpse of the future?" Yubaba asked

Just then Gothel burst into the room, "you won't have a future!" the mad sorceress exclaimed, "none save the one I shall determine for you as your new Goddess!"

"You sick monster!" shouted Rapunzel, "what do you want with us!?"

"I only want one thing, dearest Rapunzel," said Gothel, a deranged look on her face as she pulled out a knife, "I want your heart and I'm going to get it! Now come to mother, like a good girl!"

"You keep away from her!" Eugene shouted as he got in front of Rapunzel, "I won't let you touch her!"

"Out of the way, you stupid boy toy!" Gothel shouted, "you were lucky to survive before, but I will kill you this time!"

"Not if I kill you first!" shouted Yubaba. She then shot an attack spell at Gothel, whom took the blast but shrugged it off like it was a feather brushing against her skin.

"Your powers have atrophied in your old age, Yubaba," said Gothel, "or is it that my defenses are simply stronger? It won't matter for long," she then looked at Rapunzel, "now strop resisting me and surrender your heart!"

"Never!" shouted both Rapunzel and Eugene.

"If I could make a suggestion," said Alegra.

"You may not!" shouted Gothel as she threw the knife at Alegra, hitting her in the heart with a sickening, wet thud. With a startled grunt, Alegra fell backwards, gave one last breath and died.

"Let that be a lesson to you all," said Gothel as she pulled out another knife, "don't stand in the way of you new Goddess."

"You freaking psychopath!" exclaimed a horrified and outraged Rapunzel, "you murdering maniac!"

"That's right, hate me all you want," said Gothel as she advanced on Rapunzel, "it won't make a difference. I will take your heart, no matter what!"

Just then there came a loud 'Clang!' and Gothel cried out in pain as she fell to the floor unconscious. Behind her was a breathless Lin, the frying pan gripped in her raised hands. "Am I too late!?" she gasped, "did that maniac hurt anyone else? She already stabbed two frogs downstairs!"

"She killed Alegra!" said Rapunzel in a remorseful tone, "and it's all my fault!"

"No, it's not your fault," said Yubaba, "and Alegra's not dead." she then walked over to Alegra's body and nudged it with her foot, "get up. Get up!" she then kicked the body lightly, "I know you're not dead, so stop faking it already!"

"She is dead, sister of mine," said Zeneba, "but not for long," she then bent down and pulled the knife out, "just give her a moment."

"In the meantime," said Yubaba, "let's make sure this lunatic doesn't hurt anyone else," she then turned around to look at Gothel, but the mad witch was gone. "What? Where is she!?"

"Right here!" said Gothel as she appeared behind Zeneba, holding the knife to her throat, "now, my former schoolmate," she said to Yubaba, "either you hand over Rapunzel, or I kill your sister!"

"Don't hurt her!" Rapunzel shouted, "I…I…"

"You can't hand yourself over to that psychopath!" Eugene shouted.

"It's either that or let Zeneba die," said Rapunzel.

"You're still not handing yourself over," said Yubaba. She then glared at Gothel, "go ahead, slit my sister's throat. Stick her like a pig, I don't care."

"What!?" exclaimed Gothel, "you actually want me to kill your sister!?"

"I'm not surprised," said Zeneba in a calm tone, despite the razor-sharp blade at her throat, "Yubaba and I aren't exactly on the best of terms. If I die, she'll morn me later, but for now, she would sacrifice me in order to beat you. I don't know if I'd do the same, but I'd do whatever I could to keep Rapunzel safe."

"Well, that's not right," said Gothel as she released Zeneba, "if I can't have you as a proper hostage," she then rushed over to Kairi and Sora, whom were still unconscious on the bed, "I'll just use these sleeping beauties."

"NO!" shouted Lin as she rushed forward and tacked Gothel with enough force to send them crashing through the window. They landed on the tiled roof, rolled to the edge and fell down to the next level of the bathhouse, then the next and the next, finally landing on the ground in front of the bridge.

"Good grief!" shouted Zeneba.

"I'll say," remarked Yubaba, "my insurance company is going to crucify me."

"The hell with your insurance!" shouted Zeneba as she glared irately at her sister, "your foreman could be dead for all we know!"

Just then Alegra came gasping back to life, lurching upright, "damn! I hate it when that happens!" she said. She then looked around at the startled Rapunzel and Eugene, then saw the broken window, "I take it I missed a lot while I was out."

"You sure aren't kidding," said Eugene.

"Look! I think Lin's alright!" said Zeneba as she looked down and saw Lin barely moving, but alive.

"I'll get help down to her right away," said Yubaba.

"But where's Gothel?" Rapunzel asked.

They then all saw Gothel walk up to Lin and grabbed her by the hair, dragging her towards the battlefield.

"That evil bitch!" shouted Yubaba, "I'm going to kill her!" with that she hovered and flew out the window.

"I don't want to be in Gothel's shoes when my sister catches up with her," said Zeneba, "not that she doesn't deserve it. In fact, I might go down and help her."

"You're staying right here to teleport Chihiro back up!" said Alegra in an insisting tone, "you got a problem with it?" she then glared at Rapunzel and Eugene, "and you're staying here too, got it!?"

"Yes ma'am!" said Zeneba, Rapunzel and Eugene.

* * *

"OW! Stop it, you crazy human!" Lin shouted as Gothel dragged her to the battlefield, "you're gonna rip all my hair out!"

"Pray that is the worst I shall do to you!" Gothel shouted.

"Lady, I'm having one of the worst days of my life!" said an irately Lin, "I've had to broker a deal with a bunch of unhappy kappas, break several rules about uninvited guests, human guests at that, and now you and your fellow lunatics are threatening to murder an innocent girl, destroy the bathhouse, kill my boss and end the world! On top of that, I crashed through a window and fell several stories. Yubaba's probably gonna make me fix her window, and now you're ripping my hair out. I'd call that a pretty bad day if you ask me!"

"It's about to get worse!" said Gothel. She had reached the edge of the battlefield and shouted so loud that everyone heard her, "ENOUGH!"

This caused everyone fighting to stop and look at Gothel and Lin. The mad sorceress then pulled Lin to her knees and held her knife to Lin's throat, "alright, this is how we're going to do this," she then glared at Riku, "you! Keyblade brat! You and your fellow pathetic heroes are going to put your toys away and surrender! You!" she then glared at Regina, "my old comrade. You're going to march up to the bathhouse and get Rapunzel and Yubaba for me! You!" she then glared at Brother Courtney, "After I make Yubaba cough up the King Stones, I'll cut out Rapunzel's heart and we'll do the ascension ritual, right here!"

"No," said Brother Courtney, "I will not perform the ritual."

"You've failed, woman!" shouted Grand Mutant Darom.

"We gave you the chance to present us with the new King Stones," said Grad Mutant Bishium, "and here you bring us with a lowly weasel spirit. You are pathetic!"

"And unworthy of even becoming a demigod!" shouted Grand Mutant Baraom.

"I will become Goddess!" exclaimed Gothel. She then glared at Frankie, "you! Freak! You and your fellow freaks, mutants and brats, you will make Regina and the monk do as I say or I'll kill the weasel! You will obey me! You will obey your new Goddess! You Will Obey! OBEY!"

Just then, Kuwabara got behind Gothel, grabbed her arm that was gripping the knife and twisted it, causing Gothel to cry out in pain and drop the knife, allowing Lin to get to her feet and limp out of the way.

"You!" shouted Gothel at Kuwabara, "you dare lay a hand on your new Goddess! Blasphemy! Sheer blasphemy!"

"You ain't no goddess!" shouted Kuwabara. He then punched Gothel in the face, knocking the mad woman out cold.

"You okay?" Kuwabara asked Lin.

"Other than regretting getting out of bed this morning, I'm okay," said Lin, "how about you?"

"Eh, I've had better days," said Kuwabara.

"Kuwabara!" exclaimed an appalled Yusuke, "you…you hit Gothel."

"What?" Kuwabara asked, "that crazy woman was gonna kill Lin."

"You hit a girl!" Chihiro exclaimed.

"Hey, that ain't no lady," said Kuwabara irately as he pointed at the unconscious Gothel.

"Well, I'm surprised that you struck a female," said Hiei smugly, "the great Kuwabara, a man who stands by his values and morals, only to succumb to the hypocrisy of human nature."

"Oh shut up, shorty!" said Kuwabara as he stubbornly crossed his arms, "I can bend my own rules when I really have to, and don't you even think about telling anyone about this back home, Urameshi!"

"Hey, my lips are sealed," said Yusuke.

"Well, I'll admit, boy," said Regina to Kuwabara, "you've earned my respect. You finally made the crazy bitch shut up."

"Yes, now that that's out of the way," said Brother Courtney, "I suggest that we crush these fools and get what we came here for."

"You're not crushing anyone!" said Riku, "we're still ready to fight!"

"Gorgom!" shouted Kamen Rider Black, "this ends now!"

"This is your end, Minami Kotaro!" shouted Grand Mutant Bishium, "Chimera Mutant! Destroy him!"

"I think your pet is otherwise preoccupied," said Toralei as she indicated Chimera Mutant, whom was fighting both Hiei and Kurama.

"Looks like Shadowcast has decided to take a powder," said Yusuke, "I know I should go after the foggy prick," he then glared hatefully at Grand Mutant Baraom, "but I think I'll take my frustration out on you, zoo reject!"

"Mind if I get in on the carnage?" Riku asked as he glared at Grand Mutant Bishium.

"In your condition, not likely," said Malcolm. He then tossed Riku one of the special potions he helped perfect, "down this Quantum Potion and you'll be right as rain."

"Be sure to thank Prodessor Slughorn later," said Aiden as he and the others downed some of the Quantum Potion, recovering their strength and healing their wounds.

"I'll thank him for all of us," said Riku after drinking the potion.

"I'll say it again, Gorgom!" said Kamen Rider Black as he glared at Grand Mutant Darom, "this ends today!"

"For you, Black Sun!" said Grand Mutant Darom, "it ends for you!" with that the three Grand Mutants rushed at Riku, Yusuke and Kamen Rider Black, whom rushed at the dark creatures as well.

* * *

**…Kairi's Dreamscape…**

"So, you want to fight me?" Sora asked Dark Kairi as he summoned his Keyblade and squared off against the dark girl with the dark Keyblade.

"If that's what it takes to make sure that Kairi's light fades out and my darkness thrives, then yes!" said Dark Kairi, "I will fight you, Sora! And I'll kill you!"

"Bad guys have been trying to kill me for a long time now," said Sora, "what makes you think you can?"

"Because I will it so!" said Dark Kairi. With that she rushed at Sora and tried to cut his head off. Sora blocked the dark Keyblade, then blocked a thrust to his heart, then blocked another head attack.

"Why are you just blocking me!?" shouted Dark Kairi as she attacked again and again, but Sora kept blocking, "fight back!"

"No," said Sora as he kept blocking the dark girl's attacks.

"Why isn't he attacking her?" Rainbow Dash asked, "that crazy human is trying to kill him!"

"She's not exactly human, mind you," said Rarity.

"Yeah, I know," said Rainbow Dash, "she's part of the mind of the human we're inside of."

"But why is Sora just blocking?" Applejack asked.

"Because he can," said Luna, "Sora knows all of Kairi's moves, and Dark Kairi knows everything Kairi knows, so he can anticipate every move Dark Kairi will make. This way he can wait for the right opportunity to disarm her without hurting her."

"Why not hurt her?" Applejack asked "that girl's crazier than a pair of fireflies during mating season."

"What's so crazy about fireflies in mating season?" Pinkie Pie asked, "that's how they make baby fireflies."

"Have you _seen _fireflies during mating season?" Applejack asked.

"They can be kind of…out of control," said Fluttershy, "but it's not really their fault, well, it sort of is, but they're so busy with their…business…they don't really pay attention when flying."

"I once flew through a huge swarm of them during mating season," said Rainbow Dash, "not a pretty sight. I wound up with so many of them in my feathers, it took me a week to get them all out."

"Yes, well," said Luna, "as to your question, Applejack, Sora won't hurt Dark Kairi because he simply can't. He can't, won't or will ever harm her, for she is in truth a part of Kairi, even though it is a part that seeks to destroy all that is good and true in Kairi."

"Well, gosh, that sucks," said Applejack.

"It really sucks," said Rainbow Dash angrily, "I ought to give that crazy human a piece of my mind!"

"Save some room for me," said Applejack, "I'll give her an apple bucking she'll never forget!"

"We don't have time to mess around like this," said Twilight Sparkle, "that tentacle thing could be back at any moment."

"And Kairi isn't looking to good right about now," said Fluttershy as she stood next to the catatonic Kairi, whom was still fading away. By now she was transparent from her hands up to her elbows.

"You're right, she looks absolutely ghastly," said Rarity, "nothing a little touchup and the right outfit wouldn't cure."

"Be serious, will you!?" Twilight Sparkle shouted, "we've got to get Sora to help Kairi!"

"He's doing that by fighting Dark Kairi," said Rainbow Dash in an impatient tone. "I so want to get in there and kick her butt!"

"That's my part, kicking her kiester," said Applejack.

"You'll get your chance to apple buck that tentacle creature when it comes back," said Twilight Sparkle, "but what Kairi, good Kairi, needs is for Sora to snap her out of her fugue."

"If he doesn't prevent her light from fading away," said Luna, "then the darkness growing in Kairi's heart will indeed take over."

"Then let's stomp Dark Kairi out of existence!" said Applejack.

"There's a better way," said Twilight Sparkle, "Pinkie Pie, you're up."

"I am?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I thought I was on the same level as everyone else."

"I mean we need you to distract Dark Kairi so I can talk to Sora," said Twilight Sparkle in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, okay," said Pinkie Pie. She then looked at Twilight Sparkle in a confused manner, "how am I going to distract her?"

"We already talked about this," said Twilight Sparkle in an even more annoyed tone. "Just use your imagination."

"Remember what I told you before we came to this dreamscape," said Luna, "the power of The Elements of Harmony has granted you, in this world, the ability to make whatever you imagine come true, to an extent."

"What extent are we talking about?" Rarity asked, "for I have a vivid imagination of my own."

"I'm sure," said Luna, "but there's a limit to what you can bring into existence here. It will only last for thirty seconds before fading out. You can think of it again, but…"

"So, if I were to imagine a design for the perfect dress," said Rarity in a contemplative manner, "then…" she then closed her eyes in concentration and before her appeared a design sketch. Rarity then looked at it, her eyes widening with delight and she smiled brightly, "why, this is indeed perfect!"

But then after a few seconds, the sketch vanished, "what? No! Come back!" exclaimed Rarity. She then closed her eyes again and concentrated. The design sketch came back but when Rarity looked at it, she frowned, "no, this isn't what I imagined. It's still gorgeous, but not the same."

"You imagined what you thought was perfect," said Luna, "but for you, the idea of perfection is constantly changing with new memories, new experiences. It's complicated and doesn't really make sense, but that's how it is."

"Well, I know what's perfect and won't change!" said Pinkie Pie. She then closed her eyes in concentration and above her appeared a small rain cloud, from which came a downpour of liquid chocolate that Pinkie Pie gulped down joyfully.

"I should have known," said an annoyed Rainbow Dash, while Applejack sighed with equal annoyance and Twilight Sparkle rested her face on her hoof, sighing with agrivation.

A few seconds later, the rain of chocolate vanished. "Okay, you've had your chocolate rain, Pinkie Pie," said Twilgiht Sparkle, "can we now," but then she faulted as she saw Pinkie Pie imagine up another cloud of chocolate rain, then another and another.

"Pinkie!" said Twilight Sparkle irately, "Pinkie!"

"She's in her zone now," said Rainbow Dash as she and the other Ponies watched Pinkie Pie gorge herself on her chocolate rain.

Having had enough, Twilight Sparkle shouted as loud as she could "PINKIE!"

This broke Pinkie Pie's concentration and her cloud of chocolate rain vanished. "Huh? Twilight?" she asked in a confused manner.

"You're supposed to imagine up a distraction!" said Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh, right, sorry," said Pinkie Pie as she grinned sheepishly. She then glared at Dark Kairi, "alright, you big old meanie! Have some of this!" she closed her eyes in concentration and a small cannon with a blue barrel and pink and purple wheels with flower-print rims. She then pressed the fuse as if it were a button and an explosion of multi-colored confetti, streamers and balloons shot out towards Dark Kairi.

"What the!?" exclaimed Dark Kairi as the confetti, streamers and balloons shot past her, "what is this nonsense?!"

"It's not nonsense!" said Pinkie Pie, "it's my faithful Party Cannon!"

"Oh, we'll have a party alright," said Dark Kairi irately, "I'll shove you into that thing and blast you into orbit!"

"Fluttershy!" shouted Twilight Sparkle, "you're up!"

"Me?" Fluttershy asked in a nervous and timid tone, "I…well…I don't think I'll be able to…"

"That evil girl's going to kick out all the goodness in a pure heart and make Kairi do all sorts of evil things," said Twilight Sparkle, "including torturing helpless baby animals!"

At that Fluttershy's look of nervous uncertainty turned into one of righteous indignation, "over my dead body!" she shouted. She then took flight and flew up to Dark Kairi, a look of out of character anger on her face, "you! How dare you even think of hurting baby animals!"

"I never did such a thing," said Dark Kairi, "although," she then smiled wickedly, "I think the first thing I'll do after I take over Kairi is find some defenseless bunnies and roast them alive!"

"No You Wont!" shouted Fluttershy. She then glared at Dark Kairi, her eyes locked intensely with the eyes of the dark girl.

"Uh, are you sure it's a good idea to let her fight?" Sora asked Twilight Sparkle, "she doesn't seem like she's okay with violence."

"She won't lay a hoof on Dark Kairi," said Twilight Sparkle, "not if I know Fluttershy."

"Oh, I get it now," said Rainbow Dash, "she's using 'The Stare.'"

"What Stare?" Sora asked.

"Fluttershy has a way with animals," said Rarity, "a most beautiful empathic gift that allows her to connect with the hearts of natures inhabitants."

"And she can make really vicious critters back down and roll over," said Applejack.

"This one time, she calmed down this really big, really mean dragon," said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, you did kick it first," said Applejack.

"Hey! I'm not the only one who made it mad," said Rainbow Dash.

"I think it's working!" said Pinkie Pie, "that crazy human, she's losing her nerve!"

Sure enough, Dark Kairi was calming down somewhat, her eyes remained locked with Fluttershy's, "you…why can't I look away?" Dark Kairi asked in a slightly shaky tone.

"Listen to me!" said Fluttershy forcefully, "I really don't know a lot about humans, but one thing I do know is that you just can't let evil destroy good! That you can't let darkness destroy light! Whatever your issues are with Kairi, they don't justify you snuffing out her light and taking over her body, especially when you plan on doing all sorts of horrible things afterwards!"

"Well, of course I'm going to do horrible things," said Dark Kairi, "I'm evil, and evil cannot exist in the pure heart of a Princess of Heart. I have to snuff out Kairi's light or I'll be the one to fade away."

"I understand that," said Fluttershy, "but I can't let you destroy all that is good and true in Kairi!" she then increased the intensity of her stare, causing Dark Kairi to lose focus and vanish her dark Keyblade. The dark girl then sat down, her eyes still locked with Fluttershy's.

"We all have to stop you from destroying the good in Kairi," said Twilight Sparkle as she, the other Ponies and Sora, walked closer. "Thanks, Fluttershy, I think she's going to behave now."

"Oh, okay," said Fluttershy. She then looked away from Dark Kairi, whom blinked and sighed with relief, yet remained sitting.

"That was awesome," said Sora to Fluttershy, "you really put her in her place."

"Oh, well, it wasn't really that big a deal," said Fluttershy as she smiled modestly.

"Hey, you tamed a Chimera, a Cockatrice and even Discord," said Rainbow Dash, "no big deal my eye."

"You really ought to take more pride in yourself, hon," said Applejack to Fluttershy. She then looked at Dark Kairi, "now, what about her?"

"Yes, what about me!?" Dark Kairi asked, "do you have the right to destroy me before I even had a chance to exist!? Don't I get a chance to live?!"

"Not at the cost of Kairi's light," said Sora, "I'm sorry, if there was another way, I'd…"

"There is another way," said Twilight Sparkle.

"There is?" Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Sora all asked at the same time.

"Indeed there is," said Luna, "I anticipated a situation such as this and there is a way for Dark Kairi to live, in a manner of speaking."

"Of course," said Dark Kairi in an annoyed tone, "there's always a catch, isn't there?"

"This will be a catch that is beneficial to all involved," said Luna, "you, Dark Kairi, cannot exist inside the pure heart of Kairi. Yet you are an intelligent, sentient life form and you do have the right to exist, just not in or as Kairi."

"I don't get it," said Rainbow Dash, "how can she be a part of Kairi if she can't be a part of Kairi?"

"Maybe she's like a Chimi Cherry or a Cherry Chonga," said Pinkie Pie.

"No you don't!" exclaimed Rarity angrily, "I heard enough of that dialog when we were trying to get back from Appleloosa," she then glared at Rainbow Dash, "and I still owe you for abandoning us in the middle of the desert."

"Hey, we were trying to catch up with Applejack," said Rainbow Dash, "blame her for running away."

"Can we not bring that up again?" Applejack asked, "it's bad enough I had to learn the hard way about facing up to your problems and not running away when you're afraid of letting your friends down."

"We've all learned lessons about friendship," said Twilight Sparkle. She then looked at Dark Kairi, "if we had time I'd teach them to you."

"They'd be lost on me," said Dark Kairi in a depressed tone, "I'm evil, I am darkness and there are no friends in the darkness."

"You don't have to be that way," said Luna, "I can give you light, light that you can call your own, and eventually, a body of your own."

At that Dark Kairi looked at Luna with hopeful eyes, "you can do that for me?"

"It won't be an easy or short process," said Luna, "and in truth, you'd have to give up some of your freedom, some of your individuality. Simply put, you will merge with a body without a heart and become the heart for that body."

"What?" Sora asked, "how are you going to turn her into a heart? And who's body are you going to put…wait, you don't mean…?"

"Yes, Sora," said Luna, "I'm going to change her into a heart for someone you know, someone very close to you and the one you love."

"But how are you going to turn me into a hear?" Dark Kairi asked.

"With magic, of course," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh, well, of course," said Dark Kairi sarcastically, "magic is a solution to everything."

"Not everything," said Luna, "but it can help in a lot of situations. The exact magical mechanics involved would take far too long to explain, and time is a luxury we are in short supply of. But once you've become a heart, you will be put right next to Kairi's pure heart. A spell will keep your darkness from interfering with Kairi's light, while her light will diffuse your darkness.

"Once enough time has passed and enough of your darkness has turned to light, once a balance between the two has been established, you shall be merged with your new body. Your memories and experiences shall merge with the mind of your new body and your two personalities shall combine, creating a new person, stronger combined than when you were as individuals."

"And this new me," said Dark Kairi, "she won't be a goodie two shoes like Kairi? Will I still be capable of evil?"

"You'll be like every other normal heart," said Luna, "capable of choosing between good and evil, though I hope you will choose good most of the time."

"So long as I get a choice, I'm cool with it," said Dark Kairi, "And as long as I'm still partly me." She then looked at Sora, "and that we have this understanding between us. As soon as I'm in my new body, we go our separate ways. I don't want to see you, Kairi or any of your friends again."

"I think you'll feel different after you get a taste of the memories of whom you'll become the heart of," said Sora.

"Uh, people?" Applejack asked as she looked off to the left, her eyes widened with nervousness, "I think Tall, Dark and Slimy is back!"

"And he's brought company!" said Rainbow Dash as she hovered a few yards in the air to get a better view.

Sure enough, the tentacle creature was fast approaching and with it was a horde of zombies.

"Oh my stars!" said a horrified Rarity.

"I don't think we can take on that many!" said Applejack.

"Not to sound like I'm scared or nothing," said Rainbow Dash, "but I think we should get out of here!"

"How about going back to Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked, "I think I left the oven on back home!"

"No! We can't run away!" said Twilight Sparkle, "we can hold off those undead creeps!"

"Twilight's right!" said Applejack, "we can't let these rotting critters scare us!"

"We certainly can't run now," said Rarity, "not after coming this far."

"Heh, I'll bet I can take out a hundred of those things before the rest of you guys can even take out ten!" said Rainbow Dash as she grinned eagerly for the coming fight.

"Come on, every-pony! We can do it!" said Pinkie Pie as she imagined up a large 'WE CAN DO IT!' banner.

"I suppose we could do it," said Fluttershy, "I'd rather if we could all just sit down for a cup of tea, but I guess there's just no reasoning with a zombie."

"Depends on the zombie you talk to," said Sora, "I happen to know a really smart zombie, and she's the smartest ghoul at her school."

"You'll have to tell us about it sometime," said Twilight Sparkle, "but for now," she then looked at Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, "come on, every-pony! Let's show these jerks how we do things in Equestria!"

"Yeah!" shouted the five Ponies. With that the six of them ran and flew at the oncoming zombie horde.

"They'll hold the undead abominations at bay," said Luna, "and I will do what I can to restrain the demon. But you, Sora, you must be the one to help Kairi. You must snap her out of her fugue before she fades away completely or all of this will be for naught."

"What do I have to do?" Sora asked.

"Just talk to her," said Luna, "she may not be listening, but she will hear your voice and the right words will bring her back to herself."

By now Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had stopped at a small hill a hundred yards or so from Sora and the others. They then closed their eyes in concentration as the gems in their necklaces and Twilight's crown glowed.

"What's happening?" Dark Kairi asked.

"They're invoking The Elements of Harmony," said Luna, "six aspects of friendship that come together to unleash a power that even the darkest of darkness cannot withstand.

"Applejack; one of the most courageous, hard working and truthful hearts to walk Equestria, her Element is Honesty.

"Fluttershy; possessing a heart full of compassion, serenity and love, hers is the Element of Kindness.

"Rainbow Dash; also courageous, she is always ready to stand up for what is right and just, always willing to be there for her friends, she bares the Element of Loyalty.

"Rarity; beneath her vain surface is a heart willing to give all that she can to those in need, to help those in need and make things better, hers is the Element of Generosity.

"Pinkie Pie; possessing a free spirit, an imaginative mind and a heart full of joy, she is always on the lookout for sad faces that are in need of cheering up, always ready to spread smiles wherever she goes, she bares the Element of Laughter.

"And Twilight Sparkle; one of the most gifted students either my sister or I have ever seen. Twilight Sparkle, whom has seen and learned so much in such a short time both about her powers, about friendship and about herself, hers is the Element of Magic."

By now all six gems were glowing brightly. Twlight Sparkle blinked and her eyes glowed white as beams of power shot from the gems, converging above Twilight Sparkle and forming a streaming Rainbow that encircled the area around Sora, Kairi, Dark Kairi and the Ponies.

The first wave of the zombies hit the rainbow wall and vanished. More and more zombies ran at the wall with reckless abandon for their own wellbeing, completely focused on reaching our heroes and allies that they ran headlong into their own destruction.

Within a minute, all of the zombies were gone. The rainbow wall vanished, while the gems worn by Twilight Sparkle and her friends stopped glowing.

Twilight and the others sighed with relief as they all slumped on the ground.

"Wow, that was something else," said Twilight Sparkle.

"And I thought fighting off those Changelings was hard work," said Rainbow Dash.

"I feel like I've just bucked all of Sweet Apple Acres in one go," said Applejack.

"I'm just tired," said Pinkie Pie.

"Wake me when it's time to go home," said Rarity.

"Wait, where's the demon?" Fluttershy asked.

They then saw that the demon had gotten past them and was rushing towards the still catatonic Kairi. But then Luna got in front of the tentacle creature.

"Thou shall not pass me, demon!" Luna shouted in her deafening, reverberating voice, "take thy curse and be gone with thee!" Her horn then glowed with her magic and an enormous blast of dark blue energy shot at the tentacle creature, hitting it in the torso and knocking it down.

But then the creature got back up. It bellowed with dark fury and rushed at Luna again. She shot another blast of magic at it but the creature dodged it, then leapt at Luna intending on ensnaring her with its tentacles. Luna took flight and shot another magic blast from above but the creature dodged it again. It then jumped up and tried to grab Luna but she flew out of the way, shooting more and more blasts of magic at it.

But then the creature spat a glob of slime at Luna. She dodged it, but then the tentacle creature spat more and more globs of slime at her. One glob of slime then hit her left wing, covering her feathers and inflicting a burning pain. Luna cried out in agony and she fell to the ground. She managed to come out of her dive and managed to avoid a crash landing, but she still landed hard.

The creature then landed and rushed at Luna, its tentacles writing in anticipation of constricting the life out of her.

But then Dark Kairi got in front of Luna with her dark Keyblade out, "hey! Asshole! I'm your opponent now!"

The creature stopped several paces from Dark Kairi, glaring at her in an apprising manner.

"That's right, you slimy, festering sack of pig crap!" shouted Dark Kairi, "look at me with those filthy eyes of yours! Look upon the face of your executioner!"

"What are you doing!?" Sora asked, "that thing's gonna kill you!"

"Maybe," said Dark Kairi, "maybe not. And don't get me wrong, Sora, I'm not fighting it to save Ms. Feathers there," she then glanced at Luna, "I'm still bad, despite the opportunity you gave me. I'm doing this because that slime ball there irks me."

"I'm not going to argue with you on that," said Luna as she stood up, while Twilight Sparkle and the other Ponies walked over.

"You do what you have to do, Sora!" said Dark Kairi, "I'll deal with testicle breath here!" she then glared at the tentacle creature, "that's right! Your breath smells like balls! Now fight me!"

The creature bellowed and the two of them began circling each other, waiting for an opening.

"Go, Sora!" said Luna, "go to Kairi and pull her back from the brink!"

"Right!" said Sora. He then ran over to the still catatonic Kairi. But when he reached her, he realized that he had no idea what to say that would bring her back to awareness.

"Uh…uh…" Still unsure, Sora sat down and took Kairi's hand in his, "I…Kairi…I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't keep Maleficent from cursing you. I'm sorry we didn't find you sooner back in New York and at the bathhouse. I'm sorry I appeared so frightening to you. I'm sorry I couldn't stop your light from fading. I'm sorry I couldn't stop darkness from entering your heart."

By now Sora was crying, tears of anguished frustration and sorrow falling from his eyes, "I'm sorry, Kairi! I'm so, so sorry! If only I had been stronger, faster, better, I could have stopped it before it ever happened. I love you so much and I don't want you to fade away! But I don't know how to stop it!"

By now, the fading of Kairi had accelerated. Her arms, legs and lower torso were completely transparent.

"Kairi! If you can hear me, please, don't go away! Don't give up, don't leave me! I love you!"

Several of Sora's tears fell onto Kairi's hand. The fading slowed down just before it reached her heart, then stopped, then began reversing. Within a minute, Kairi was completely opaque again. She then gripped Sora's hand and opened her eyes, "Sora…you…you're alive?"

"I never died," said Sora, "you've been under a terrible curse."

Just then they both heard the tentacle creature bellow again. Sora and Kairi then saw the creature lift Dark Kairi over its head and threw her at Luna, the two of them colliding and collapsing to the ground.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked as Sora helped her stand up.

"That horrible thing is what's been tormenting you!" said Sora as he summoned his Keyblade, "the Ponies are from the same world as Dream Valley but on a different continent or something, they're here to help."

"And the girl who looks like me on a really bad day?" Kairi asked.

"Long story," said Sora. "just stay back, Kairi, I'll take care of my ugly copycat!" with that he rushed at the tentacle creature, but the creature backhanded him away with enough force to knock him to the ground.

"Sora!" shouted Kairi.

"It's okay, Kairi!" said Sora as he got back up, "I can take this jerk!" he then rushed at the tentacle creature, only to be knocked down again, only now he was bruised and cut in several places, "seriously, I'm alright!" he then got back up, albeit sluggishly, only to be knocked down again.

"Hey! Stop that!" Twilight Sparkle shouted. Her horn glowed with magic and she shot a beam at the tentacle creature, only for her attack to bounce off of the creature's slimy skin.

"I'll fix you, creep!" shouted Rainbow Dash. She took flight and zoomed at the creature, only for it to grab her out of the air and slam her to the ground, then grabbed Applejack as she was about to kick it from behind. The creature then threw Applejack at Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy, the four Ponies collapsing to the ground in a heap.

"No! Stop it!" shouted Kairi.

"It won't stop!" said Dark Kairi as she got back up, "not as long as you're afraid!" she then rushed at the tentacle creature, only for it to spit slime at her, hitting her in the torso and knocking her down.

"Your fear is strengthen its power!" said Luna to Kairi, "you must cast out your terror and embrace your courage! Free your mind and heart from fear!"

"Easer said than done!" said Kairi, "that thing's creaming you guys!"

"At least we're trying!" Applejack shouted as she, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy got back up, only for them to get hit by slime.

"Just stay back, Kairi!" Sora shouted as he stood up to face the creature again, "I'll…!" but that's as far as he got as the creature grabbed Sora with its tentacles and began crushing him.

"That abomination will destroy all of us if you remain afraid of it!" Luna shouted at Kairi, "face your fear and destroy it!"

"Now would be a good time to grow a backbone!" shouted Twilight Sparkle as she shot more blasts of magic at the creature, but it shrugged the blasts off as it continued to crush Sora.

"Kairi!" Sora gasped, "I…I'll always love you!"

"SORA!" Kairi shouted. Rushing at the creature, Kairi summoned her Keyblade and jumped up. She then stabbed the creature in the head as she came down, but the creature dissolved into black smoke that drifted away on the wind. Both Sora and Kairi fell to the ground.

At the same time the slime covering Dark Kairi, Luna and the other Ponies vanished as well, allowing them all to stand up.

"Is it over?" Fluttershy asked, "is that horrible, horrible thing gone?"

"It is," said Luna.

"But how?" Rarity asked, "that disgusting creature was walking all over us like a red carpet."

"It's power came from Kairi's fear," said Dark Kairi, "so long as she was afraid, then the curse and the creature, which were one and the same, would remain in effect. But by seeking Sora at the brink of destruction, it reaffirmed Kairi's courage and allowed her to break the curse and dispel the abomination," she then looked at Luna, "I did my part, now what are you going to do about me?"

"I'm sorry," said Kairi, "but who are you?"

At that Dark Kairi smirked, "let's just say that I'm what you would have been had things turned out really, really different for you."

"And you shall be different," said Luna, "in more ways than one. Twilight Sparkle? Whenever you are ready."

"Okay," said Twilight Sparkle as she smiled confidently, "here we go!" with that her horn and Luna's glowed brightly and shot beams of magic at Dark Kairi. The two beams hit her in the heart and caused the dark girl to gasp loudly. There was a flash of bright light and she was gone, replaced by a dark purple, almost black crystal heart.

"What just happened?" Kairi asked, "would someone please explain to me what's going on?"

"Long story short," said Twilight Sparkle, "Alegra sent us all into your mind to free you of the curse."

"We're in my mind?" Kairi asked.

"I had to run through a lot of your thoughts and memories," said Sora, "and meet different parts of your personality. But the Kairi I'm seeing right now, you're the best of the bunch."

"Glad you care," said Kairi, "but what about that girl who looked like me?"

"She was the darkness that was growing in your heart, brought about by your fear, anger and hate," said Luna, "it would have taken over had our efforts to restore your courage and light had failed. But now it has been turned into a heart, and with the pure light of your heart, Kairi, your darkness shall one day be given a balanced life of her own."

"Which means someone we know won't be a Nobody for much longer," said Sora.

At that Kairi blinked in surprise, but then smiled, "that sounds like a good plan to me. So, what now?"

"Your heart is still fractured from your ordeal," said Luna, "Very soon, Chihiro and Rapunzel will use their powers to heal your heart, which brings us to the point where we must depart."

"We're leaving already?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "but I wanted to talk to Sora and Kairi," she looked at the two Keyblade Wielders, "I have so many questions about humans and other worlds. And I want to know about your struggles against Maleficent, Xehanort and all the other villains!"

"I think we've done quite enough for one day, Twilight," said Luna.

"I think she's right," said Applejack, "besides, I think Applebloom and her friends are trying out cliff diving."

"Either they're going to find their Cuite Marks or kill themselves!" said Pinkie Pie.

"I'd rather not try to explain to my parents why I let Sweetie Belle suffer an untimely demise," said Rarity.

"Then we'd better get back to our bodies back in Equestria," said Twilight Sparkle. She then looked at Sora and Kairi, "you will come visit us someday, right?"

"Absolutely," said Sora, while Kairi nodded in agreement.

"Then this is farewell for now," said Luna.

"It was wonderful meeting you," said Fluttershy.

"Awesome battle," said Rainbow Dash, "can't wait to fight more bad guys with you."

"Remind me to treat ya'll to a home cooked meal back at the farm," said Applejack.

"I get to bake desert!" said Pinkie Pie.

"And I must design a new wardrobe for you, Kairi," said Rarity, "your hair is simply divine."

"I bet I really look like a mess," said Kairi.

"You'll always be beautiful to me," said Sora.

"Thanks," said a slightly embarrassed Kairi.

"See you later!" said Twilight Sparkle. With that the seven Ponies vanished.

"Okay, now what?" Kairi asked.

"I think we wait for Yubaba and Zebena to wake us up," said Sora, "oh, and Alegra's there to back with our bodies, so I think she'll know what to do next."

"But how long are we going to be stuck inside my head?" Kairi asked.

"I really don't know," said Sora. There was a moment of silence between then before they both started laughing.

* * *

**…Yubaba's bedchambers…**

"Sora has done it!" said Zeneba joyfully, "the curse is broken!"

"Then let's get Sen back up here right now!" said Yubaba.

"I think she's busy right now!" said Eugene as he looked out the window. He was watching the battle raging below, where Riku, Yusuke and Kamen Rider Black were still fighting the three Grand Mutants, while both groups of heroes and villains were watching, with Chihiro among the villains.

"That's what teleportation spells are for," said Alegra. She then looked at Zeneba, "whenever you're ready."

Zeneba then cast her spell and with a flash of light, both Chihiro and Haku were teleported into the room.

"What?!" a slightly disoriented Chihiro asked as she looked around, then realization hit her, "oh! Kairi! Sora! I completely forgot! Are they ready for us?"

"Yes, and so am I," said Rapunzel, "let's heal Kairi's heart."

"It will take but a moment for the two of you to get ready," said Zeneba, "you'll need to focus your powers and channel them onto Kairi's heart."

"In the meantime," said Yubaba as she glared at Haku, "I believe I have some unfinished business to attend to," she then walked over to Haku, whom was glaring back at her, "so, boy, you returned."

"I didn't come back for you, Yuababa!" said Haku, "I'm here for Chihiro, plain and simple."

"And what will you do with Chihiro?" Yubaba asked, "return with her to the human world? Ask her to join you in the spirit realm? What kind of future do you think either of you will have?"

"I don't know yet," said Haku, "but one thing is certain, my place is with Chihiro and my purpose is to ensure her happiness. Wherever she goes, I will go and I will do whatever I can to bring her that happiness."

"Technically that's two things," said Alegra, "but I understand."

"Okay, we're ready," said Zeneba, "Chihiro, Rapunzel, you may now heal Kairi's heart."

"Here goes everything," said Rapunzel.

"Yeah," said Chihiro. They stood over Kairi, placed their hands over her heart and channeled their newly awakened powers. Healing light shone from their hands and was absorbed into Kairi's heart.

* * *

**…Kairi's dreamscape…**

All of a sudden, the ground Sora and Kairi were standing upon began to tremble.

"Earthquake?" Sora asked as she and Kairi held onto each other and tried to keep their balance.

"In my own head?" Kairi asked. They then were blinded by a brilliant white light.

"Now what?" Sora asked as he and Kairi held their hands over their eyes, "is…is this the healing?"

"I don't know," said Kairi as she smiled brightly, "but I sincerely hope so! I feel better than I've been in a long time!" The ground began shaking harder and the light grew in intensity to the point where it overwhelmed their senses.

* * *

**…Yubaba's bedchambers…**

Both Chihiro and Rapunzel gasped in exhaustion as they both fell back from Kairi. Haku caught Chihiro while Eugene caught Rapunzel.

"Wow, am I spent," said Rapunzel.

"I feel like I've been running for days," said Chihiro.

"You both look bushed," said Eugene.

"And rewarded," said Alegra, "I believe that your efforts were successful."

"It's true," said Zeneba, "Kairi's heart is healing. It should be back to normal very soon."

"Great," said Chihiro as she and Rapunzel regained their balance and stood up, "but when are Sora and Kairi going to wake up?"

As if in answer, both Sora and Kairi opened their eyes, looked at each other and smiled, "hey," said Sora.

"Hey," said Kairi, "you okay?" she asked as she and Sora sat up.

"I'm fine," said Sora, "you?"

"Never better," said Kairi. She then looked around, seeing Yubaba, Zeneba, Alegra, Rapunzel, Eugene, Chihiro and Haku, "thank you, all of you."

"We're not done yet," said Alegra. "I'm about to win my bet with Columbina. Now, both of you stand up and hold hands."

"Uh, okay," said Sora as he and Kairi got up and held their hands together.

Alegra then pulled out a long, bright red ribbon embroidered with blue symbols. She began tying it around their hands, "this ribbon is used on a world full of love and joy. They don't have marriage as we understand, but form bonds more intimate than that formed by exchanging wedding vows."

"You're marrying them?" Rapunzel asked.

"You're marrying us!?" Sora exclaimed in a horrified tone.

"You can't marry us!" said Kairi in an equally horrified tone, "we…we can't get married yet. We're too young!"

"Since when does love have an age limit?" Alegra asked, "and I told you that this isn't a wedding, not one you're familiar with anyway."

"Oh, I guess that's okay," said Sora.

"It's not okay," said Kairi in an insisting tone, "even if this isn't a wedding, there's still stuff that needs to be done. We have to invite our friends, hire an event planner, then there's the cake, Sora hasn't even bought an engagement ring. And I haven't even had a chance to get cleaned up and dressed properly."

"You don't need any of that for this," said Alegra, "just trust me. I know I haven't always been fully honest with you, but this is something that will bring your hearts closer than ever before. Now," she then held up the ribbon, "may I continue?"

"I…well…" said Kairi. She then looked at Sora, "what do you think?"

"I'm cool with it if you are," said Sora.

"I had a feeling you'd say that," remarked Kairi. She then looked at Alegra, "go ahead."

"As I was saying," said Alegra as she continued to tie the ribbon around their hands, "this was used to forge bonds between hearts, bonds that cannot be broken by villains, by jealousy, fear, anger, hate, sorrow, envious outsiders, by any dark heart, not even death can break that bond. Only loss of love can, and I don't see that happening any time soon." She then finished tying the ribbon.

"What now?" Sora asked.

"You repeat after me," said Alegra, "now and forever…"

"Now and forever," said both Sora and Kairi.

"Our hearts are one," said Alegra.

"Our hearts are one," said Sora and Kairi. The ribbon then glowed with a warm rose-pink light, while both Sora and Kairi gasped as the rose light passed through their bodies.

"What's happening?" Chihiro asked.

"Something wonderful," said Haku.

The light then faded out. "It's done," said a happily smiling Alegra as she began untying the ribbon.

"Are you two alright?" Rapunzel asked.

"I…I think so," said Sora.

"Me too," said Kairi. She then looked at Sora, whom looked at her and they both embraced and kissed.

"I…I think I can sense the bond," said Chihiro.

"I feel it too!" said Rapunzel as she smiled brightly, "it's beautiful!"

Just then Columbina appeared, "NO!" the masked woman shouted wrathfully, "no! I forbid this!"

"You're too late!" said Alegra triumphantly, "Kairi's heart is healed and stronger than ever, so is her bond with Sora! They are beyond your power to harm them now!"

"This cannot be!" shouted Columbina, "I deny it!"

"Deny all you want," said Alegra, "you've lost your wager. Which means I'll never give you 'it,' whatever 'it' is."

At that Columbina glared hatefully at Alegra, "you never had 'it,' did you!?"

"I don't even know what 'it' is," said Alegra, "and I'm glad, because so long as I don't know, I can't give 'it' to you and you can't force me to give 'it' to you. On the other hand, without knowing what 'it' is, I can't prevent you from acquiring 'it' on your own, but I'll deal with that later."

"In short, you've lost," said Sora.

"Lost what?" Kairi asked.

"I kind of made a bt with her over your existence," said Alegra.

"Tess was right," said an offended Kairi to Alegra, "you are a bitch."

"And proud of it," said Alegra smugly.

"Your pride will be your undoing, Alegra Wells!" said Columbina, her voice dripping with unadulterated loathing "you may have won our little wager, you may have given me false hope of acquiring 'it,' but I'm willing to let that go in exchange for a different form of satisfaction. I'm going to destroy you all right here and now!"

"You will fail!" said Alegra, "my sources tell me that very soon, the battle with Gorgom will end with their renewed downfall! Oh, a few others will be destroyed, but I'm not going to spoil things."

"Gorgom may fall," said Columbina, "but Dai-Shocker is forever!" she smiled with vicious glee, "The Three High Priests may be doomed, but there is another, far stronger whom will succeed where they failed! Beware the dark side of the moon, Alegra Wells! Beware the dark side of the moon!" with that she vanished.

"What was that all about?" Eugene asked.

"What did she mean about the dark side of the moon?" Haku asked, "there's nothing there that isn't on the bright side; rocks, dust, a few patches of ice and harmless moon spirits."

"She's not talking about the actual moon," said Alegra in a nervous tone, "she's bringing in one of the most powerful enforcers of Dai-Shocker. We've got to get down there right now!"

* * *

**…Outside the bathhouse…**

"Crap!" shouted Yusuke as he was knocked down, landing next to Riku and Kamen Rider Black, all of whom had been severely beaten by The Three Grand Mutants.

"How pathetic," said Grand Mutant Bishium as she, Grand Mutant Baraom and Grand Mutant Darom advanced on the three downed heroes, while Shadowcast, Chimera Mutant, Regina, Lady Tremaine, Dio Brando and Gaston kept Tess, Kuwabara and the others at bay.

"Alas, a gallant effort wasted," said Maleficent as she watched, along with Brother Courtney and The Lord of Illusions.

"Do you hear that, Minami Kotaro?" Brother Courtney asked, "it is your doom approaching!"

"And the others are doomed too!" said The Lord of Illusions.

"Chimera Mutant!" shouted Grand Mutant Darom, "finish off Minami Kotaro! Then kill the others!"

Chimera Mutant, whom was throttling Aiden, Mark and Toralei, threw them to the ground, nodded and growled in acknowledgement and advanced on Kamen Rider Black.

"Any ideas?" Riku asked as he, Yusuke and Kamen Rider Black struggled to get up.

"I've got one, maybe two more Spirit Gun blasts left," said Yusuke, "after that, I'm spent for the day. You guys have anything?"

"Just one," said Kamen Rider Black, "but it's just one chance."

"Then do it, man!" said Yusuke, "before that spliced up critter eats us!"

By then Chimera Mutant had reached Kamen Rider Black and reached down to strangle him.

"King Stone Flash!" shouted Kamen Rider Black. The red crystal in his belt flashed a bright white light that forced Chimera Mutant back, the creature shielding its eyes from the intense radiance.

At the same time The Three Grand Mutants were also blinded by the light, as well as Shadowcast, Regina, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine, Gaston, The Lord of Illusions, Brother Courtney and Maleficent.

"What…what trickery is this!?" Maleficent demanded.

"It's the power of his King Stone!" Brother Courtney shouted as he and the other villains continued to shield their eyes.

"Hey, that's some rock you've got," said an impressed Yusuke as he, Riku and everyone else recovered and got back up.

"And now I'm going to end it!" said Kamen Rider Black. "Multi-Eye!" the red, faceted eyes on his helmet flashed as he began scanning the area, specifically the villains.

"He's searching for our weaknesses!" shouted Brother Courtney, "destroy him before he destroys us!"

"I'd like to oblige," said Regina, "but I still can't see!" indeed, she and the other villains were still blinded by the flash from the red King Stone.

"I have no eyes!" said Shadowcast, "I will destroy him!" he then extended his fog tendrils towards Kamen Rider Black.

"Not today, asshole!" shouted Malcolm. He then aimed his Keyblade at Shadowcast and shot a spell. The beam of magic hit the fog-like demon, causing him to cry out in pain as his body began condensing. Within seconds, he had solidified into a humanoid piece of ice.

"What'cha do?" Kuwabara asked.

"I took a page out of one of my enemies book," said Malcolm, "and froze the bastard."

"Works for me!" said Yusuke as he charged up his finger and took aim at the solidified Shadowcast, "Spirit Gun!"

The blue blast of spirit energy shot from Yusuke's finger and hit the frozen demon right where its heart should be. The creature shattered into countless pieces that began evaporating, reducing Shadowcast to nothing within seconds.

"Huh, it worked," said an astonished Yusuke, "for a second, I thought he'd just pull himself together."

"You truly are a dimwit, detective," said Hiei.

"By condensing Shadowcast into a solid form," said Kurama, "you left the core of his dark essence, his demon heart, exposed to attack."

"And I actually blew it to kingdom come," said Yusuke, "well, case closed."

"We're not finished, Urameshi Yusuke!" shouted a sill blinded Brother Courtney, "just you wait until I can see again! You'll feel the full wrath of Dai-Shocker!"

"Gee, I thought you guys were already mad to the max," said Yusuke.

"Insolent human!" shouted Grand Mutant Baraom, "I'll rip out your heart and make you eat it!"

"That's a little redundant," said Toralei. She then looked at Kamen Rider Black, "so, where's his weak spot?"

"The base of the neck!" said Kamen Rider Black, "slash it!"

"I'll slash you, freak!" shouted Grand Mutant Baraom as he rushed at Toralei.

"Dream on, big boy!" shouted Toralei. She then rushed at the oncoming feline creature, both of them with their claws ready for the kill.

But then Toralei jumped up at the last moment, somersaulted over Grand Mutant Baraom's head, landed behind the startled creature and delivered a double claw strike to the base of his neck.

"NO!" shouted Grand Mutant Baraom as he thrashed about in agony, "it cannot be!" he then burst into flames and was reduced to ashes in seconds.

"Blasphemy!" shouted Grand Mutant Darom.

"Oh, shut up!" shouted Julia as she pulled out her sniper riffle, aimed and pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting the trolobite-like creature in the left eye, causing him to cry out in agony.

"Nice shot," said an impressed Howleen.

"I was aiming for between the eyes," said Julia as she chambered another round, "I'm more tired than I thought."

"Allow me to finish it!" said Steven. He then looked at Kamen Rider Black, "how do I do that now?"

"Stab him in the stomach!" shouted Kamen Rider Black.

"I got it!" said Mark as he readied his sword.

"Me too!" shouted Kuwabara.

"Me three!" said Roxas. With that they rushed at Grand Mutant Darom and before the gray creature could react, stabbed him right in the midsection, then jumped back.

"Damn you, Minami Kotaro!" shouted Grand Mutant as he collapsed to the ground, bursting into flames that reduced him to ashes within seconds.

"I can guess your weakness!" shouted Tess as she faced down Grand Mutant Bishium.

"Another time, perhaps!" said Grand Mutant Bishium. She then took flight vanished.

"Cowardly trollop!" shouted Brother Courtney, whom apparently could see now. He then looked at Chimera Mutant, "don't just stand there, you idiot! Finish them!"

"Not this time!" shouted Kamen Rider Black. He then raised his right arm and formed a fist, then held his left arm out to his right, his left hand also forming a fist, both fists then gripping tightly. He then jumped up and in jump, pushed outward so he was falling towards Chimera Mutant like a homing missile.

"Rider Punch!" he then socked Chimera Mutant in the face, forcing the creature back.

Kamen Rider Black then jumped up again and then delivered a flying kick with his right foot charged with red energy, "Rider Kick!"

The glowing foot connected with Chimera Mutant's head, forcing the creature back even further, whom then burst into flames that reduced him to ashes within seconds.

"Well, this is an unfortunate turn of events," said Regina in a slightly nervous tone. She then looked at Maleficent, "I think now would be a good time to retire in good order."

"We agree on that," said Maleficent.

"You're not going anywhere!" said Sora as he, Kairi, Alegra, Yubaba, Zeneba, Chihiro, Haku, Rapunzel and Eugene, all ran into the area.

"Sora!" shouted Riku.

"Kairi! You're okay!" shouted Frankie.

"And better than ever!" said Kairi.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Maleficent, "how can this be! Your mind was cursed! You should be a broken shell by now!"

"The only thing that was broken was your curse," said Alegra, "while the bond between Sora and Kairi has been made nearly indestructible."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naminé asked.

"We're kina…" said Sora.

"…married now," Kairi finished. At that they both giggled for a second.

"What!?" Tess, Riku, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé all shouted.

"Oh my ghoul!" said Frankie, "you got married?"

"And you didn't even buy a ring?" Tara asked.

"It's not really that big a deal," said Kairi, "well, it is to me and Sora, but seriously…"

"…it's not worth everyone else making such a big fuss," Sora finished.

"Big fuss by eye," said Howleen, "when my sister hears about this, she'll work herself half to death to arrange a real wedding for you guys."

"Not if they are dead!" shouted Maleficent. She then looked at Regina, Lady Tremaine, Gaston and Dio Brando, "kill them!"

"I still can't see, you idiot!" shouted Regina, "you want to kill them, do it yourself!"

"Very well," said Maleficent. She then glared at Sora and Kairi, "your tribulations will be in vain! I will destroy you with my own hands!"

"No need," said Brother Courtney as he smiled wickedly, "help is on the way."

"What are you talking about?" The Lord of Illusions asked.

Just then a shimmering gray wall appeared and from it emerged a man in gray and black armor, with boots that had double-bladed spurs and an insect-like helmet with green, multi-faceted eyes. He wore a belt with a green crystal set in the middle, similar to the belt worn by Kamen Rider Black.

"Who is that?" Mark asked as the newcomer looked around, as if appraising the situation.

"I don't know," said Felicia in an edgy tone as she gripped her knives, "but he gives me the willies."

"Me too," said Toralei in a visibly nervous but forceful tone, the hairs on the back of her neck raised, "he's evil, through and through."

"But who is he?" Tess asked.

"Nobuhiko," said Kamen Rider Black in a startled tone.

"You are a fool, Minami Kotaro!" shouted Brother Courtney, "your friend no longer exist!"

"Lord Shadow Moon!" shouted Grand Mutant Bishium as she swooped down, landing next to the man in the gray and black armor, kneeling in front of him, "you have returned!"

"Shadow Moon?" Sora asked.

"The strongest, most powerful, most diabolical of Gorgom," said Alegra, "I was hoping to avoid fighting him, for he is also among the most powerful enforcers of Dai-Shocker."

"I knew you'd return, Lord Shadow Moon," said Grand Mutant Bishium, "the others, they conspired to raise up a new pair of Century Kings and usurp your rightful place as Creation King! But I never went along with their cowardly actions! I knew, I always knew that you would return and lead Gorgom into a new age of dark glory!"

"You lying creepazoid!" shouted Rapunzel, "I was there when you and your fellow creeps boasted on how you'd make new Century Kings and make them fight each other to the death!"

"Truth be told," said Regina, "they planned on turning those two into Century Kings," she then pointed at Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Excuse me?" Yusuke asked.

"You can't be serious!" said Kuwabara, "me, a king? I'd be satisfied with being top fighter in my district back home!"

"I just wanna do my own thing without anyone bothering me," said Yusuke, "I mean, I'll solve a case now and then, but I'd give up school and a lot of other crap if I could."

"Whatever combs your hair," said Regina, "the point is that Gorgom had every intention of starting over with a new Creation King."

"That's a lie!" shouted Grand Mutant Bishium, "Lord Shadow Moon! I among the Three High Priests am your most loyal acolyte! Let me serve you in the revival of Gorgom!"

Shadow Moon then looked down at Grand Mutant Bishium.

"Yes, Lord Shadow Moon!" said Grand Mutant Bishium, "let me serve you!"

Shadow Moon then summoned a sword with a blood-red blade and before anyone else could react, used it to slice off the head of Grand Mutant Bishium. The creature's body and head fell to the ground and burst into flames that reduced all of her to ashes in seconds.

"No way!" said a shocked Sora, while Riku, Kairi and everyone else looked equally shocked.

"Your own subordinate," said Malcolm, "what kind of sicko are you!?"

"Nobuhiko!" shouted Kamen Rider Black, "stop this now!"

"Black Sun," said Shadow Moon in an insidious tone, "we meet again. I can assure you that this time, we will end our rivalry. This time, I will destroy you!"

**The end of chapter 9.**

Next chapter finds our heroes fighting for their lives against the insidious Shadow Moon. Who will survive? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!


	11. Chapter 10: Clash of Riders

_Last time found Sora battling the cursed nightmare inside Kairi's mind. When he found himself outmatched and nearly overwhelmed by the insidious dark entity, help arrived in the form of Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle and her friends from Equestria. Yet as the tide turned against the cursed nightmare, the dark form of Kairi, created out of her fear and hate, attacked Sora._

_Out in the real world, Riku and the others, now joined by Kamen Rider Black, battled the Grand Mutants of Gorgom, holding them back from the bathhouse. Yet as our heroes fought the forces of evil without and within, Gothel took advantage of the conflicts and snuck into Yubaba's bedchamber, where Kairi and Sora lay helpless. Threatening to kill the two unconscious lovers, Gothel demanded that Yubaba surrender the Kingstones and Rapunzel her heart. Lin then attacked and pushed Gothel out the window, falling outside with her, where the insidious witch took the bathhouse foreman hostage._

_Back in Kairi's mind, a truce was struck with Dark Kairi, thanks mostly to the intense gaze of Fluttershy. Luna and Twilight Sparkle agreed to use their magic to allow Dark Kairi to become a new heart for someone whom is without one. When the cursed nightmare returned, it took the combined efforts of Sora, Dark Kairi, Luna and the Elements of Harmony to shake the real Kairi from her withdrawn state and vanquish the nightmare once and for all. With the promise of visiting Equestria later on, Sora and Kairi bade farewell to their new Pony friends._

_Upon waking up, Alegra used a special ritual to 'marry' Sora and Kairi, further strengthening their bond. An outraged Columbina showed up and vowed to destroy the newly united couple, and everyone else at that matter. Sensing the worse approaching, Alegra and the others rushed outside to help defeat The Grand Mutants, while Yusuke vanquished Shadowcast._

_But then the most powerful of enemies that Kamen Rider Black faced, Shadow Moon, arrived. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 10: Clash of Riders**

Shadow Moon then looked down at Grand Mutant Bishium.

"Yes, Lord Shadow Moon!" said Grand Mutant Bishium, "let me serve you!"

Shadow Moon then summoned a sword with a blood-red blade and before anyone else could react, used it to slice off the head of Grand Mutant Bishium. The creature's body and head fell to the ground and burst into flames that reduced all of her to ashes in seconds.

"No way!" said a shocked Sora, while Riku, Kairi and everyone else looked equally shocked.

"Your own subordinate," said Malcolm, "what kind of sicko are you!?"

"Nobuhiko!" shouted Kamen Rider Black, "stop this now!"

"Black Sun," said Shadow Moon in an insidious tone, "we meet again. I can assure you that this time, we will end our rivalry. This time, I will destroy you!"

"You're a fool, Akizuki Nobuhiko!" Alegra shouted.

"A fool am I?" Shadow Moon asked. He then walked towards Alegra, "and just who are you to call me a fool?"

"I'm someone whom has seen history repeat itself time and time again," said Alegra defiantly, "I know what happened before, Akizuki Nobuhiko. I know how you and Minami Kotaro were raised as brothers, how you were betrayed by your adopted father to Gorgom, how you were turned into a psychotic cyborg, how you tormented Kotaro and nearly finished him for good!"

"And I would have finished him!" shouted Shadow Moon, "I should have survived our fight to the death, not Black Sun! I should have become the new Creation King, as is my destiny!"

"It's your destiny to die, you moron!" shouted Alegra, "I've seen historical accounts from multiple realities. Time and time again you set in motion events that lead to a final confrontation with Kotaro. Each time you seemingly killed him, only for Kotaro to return from the dead by a miracle. You fight again and each and every time, you are vanquished, whereupon Kotaro vanquishes the Creation King and destroys Gorgom."

"And yet he has returned!" said Brother Courtney, "returned to destroy you infidels!"

"One man's heathen is another man's believer," said Yubaba.

"Do we really have to keep fighting?" Rapunzel asked, "Those mutant jerks are dead and Gothel's not going anywhere."

"She sure isn't," said Mark as Steven and Felicia used several pairs of zip-cuffs on Gothel's wrists and ankles, "this lunatic is coming with us when this is all over."

"The way we see things," said Julia as she kept one of her pistols on the unconscious Gothel, "it'd be morally wrong to kill her outright, though she doesn't deserve to live."

"Killing her would be all to easy," said Steven, "so, we figured we'd take her back to our Bureau and keep her locked up as punishment."

"The farther away she is from Rapunzel, the better," said Felicia, "so we'll make sure she stays away from Rapunzel."

"Mind if I give you a hand with that?" Toralei asked, "I've done a lot of thinking just now and I'd like to talk to you Bureau guys about a job."

"You want to work with The Bureau?" Felicia asked.

"It's not like I've got much to go home with," said Toralei, "my best fiends kicked me out of our apartment, half the student body of Monster High hates my guts and I've got a criminal record. What else is there for me?"

"You're serious about this?" Julia asked, "The Bureau deals with a lot of sensitive secrets. Once you're in and you're let in on the classified information, the only way out is to have your memories wiped."

"You'll either have to take memory suppression drugs," said Mark, "or you'll let our Scanners mess around with your head. Personally I'd opt for the drugs."

"Enough of this useless banter!" Maleficent shouted. She then glared at Shadow Moon, "you say you came here to destroy these meddling minors and so on, so destroy them!"

"You dare give orders to Shadow Moon?!" Brother Courtney asked, "you dare attempt to assert control over the most powerful of Dai-Shocker!? Be fortunate that the wrath of Dai-Shocker does not come down on your head!"

"I think we've pushed our luck far enough," said Regina to Maleficent, "we should retire in good order before we pick up another enemy."

"On this we agree," said Maleficent in a reluctant tone. She then looked at Lady Tremaine, Gaston and Dio Brando, "we are withdrawing."

"Are you kidding!?" exclaimed Gaston, "we can't run away! I've barely destroyed anything!"

"And I still need to inflict more suffering!" said Lady Tremaine.

"I'm good either way," said Dio Brando, "leave, stay, it's all cool with me."

"We are leaving and that is final!" said Maleficent, "now!"

"I wouldn't argue with her," said Regina, "not when she's in this bad a mood," she then gave Gaston and Regina a knowing look, as if telling them that she will explain things later.

"Alright," said Lady Tremaine, "we'll go."

"But you owe me a more satisfying bout of destruction later!" said Gaston.

"Indeed," said Maleficent. She then glared at Sora, "I wish you and your companions the best of luck, Keyblade Wielder. For if you survive this battle, I guarantee that the next one shall be your last!" with that she summoned a Dark Corridor, in which she, Regina, Lady Tremaine, Gaston and Dio Brando walked through.

"About time," said The Lord of Illusions as the Dark Corridor closed up, "I never liked them to begin with."

"Neither did I," said Brother Courtney, he then glared at Sora and the others, "And I don't like you either! Lord Shadow Moon! Do what you do so well!"

"With pleasure," said Shadow Moon. He then faced Kamen Rider Black, "prepare to embrace death, Black Sun!" With that he brandished his red sword and rushed at Kamen Rider Black, moving almost too fast to be seen.

Kamen Rider Black barely managed to defend himself, raising his arms in time to deflect the worst of the sword strike, yet an enormous amount of spark damage was caused as a lightning-fast follow-up strike hit him in the torso, then a third strike caused even more spark damage.

"What's the matter, Black Sun?!" Shadow Moon shouted as he delivered a fourth strike to Kamen Rider Black's chest plate, "where's all that bravado about justice and freedom? Where's the champion of humanity? Or has a normal life robbed you of your power!"

"Nobuhiko!" Kamen Rider Black shouted, "you've got to stop this!"

"That name ceased to mean anything to me long ago, Black Sun!" shouted Shadow Moon as he delivered another sword strike, "I am Shadow Moon! I am the true Creation King of Gorgom! And I am your executioner!" he then delivered another sword strike that knocked Kamen Rider Black to the ground.

"Kotaro!" shouted Sora. He then readied his Keyblade and ran at Shadow Moon. Sora then realized that Kuwabara, Andy, Howleen, Mark, Steven, Felicia, Jana, Hezekiah, Aiden and Malcolm were running with him.

"No!" Alegra shouted, "don't!"

Her warning came too late as Shadow Moon shot a blast of green lightning at Sora and the others, delivering a lot of damage and knocking them all down.

"Oh man!" said Kuwabara in a pained tone as he and the others tried to get back up, "this sucks!"

"I think it's about to get worse!" said Mark as he managed to get to his feet. He then had to dodge a sword strike from Shadow Moon, barely managing to get his own sword ready to intercept the next blow.

"Insolent mutant!" shouted Shadow Moon as he delivered strike after vicious strike, "your pathetic swordsmanship is no match against my Satan Saber!"

"I'll match my skills against any hellspawn sword!" shouted Mark as he blocked another attack, then went on the offensive, only for Shadow Moon to kick him in the chest, knocking him off his feet. He landed hard on the ground, his sword clattering several feet away.

"Pathetic," said Shadow Moon as he walked over to the fallen sword, which Mark was struggling to reach. Just as Mark's fingers touched the hilt of his sword, Shadow Moon stomped on the blade, breaking it in half, "utterly pathetic."

"You bastard!" Felicia shouted as she got back up and ran at Shadow Moon with her knives ready, only for Shadow Moon to grab her by the throat with one hand and began strangling her.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Julia as she aimed with her sniper riffle and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Shadow Moon on the left shoulder, creating a few feeble sparks but otherwise having no effect. But it caught the dark warrior's attention. He dropped Felicia, whom was gasping and coughing for breath.

"Now!" shouted Howleen as she and Toralei rushed at Shadow Moon.

"Meddling freaks!" shouted Shadow Moon as he raised his Satan Saber to cut the two were-creatures in half. But then Howleen and Toralei feinted away to either side, revealing Frankie, whom was charging up a bolt of electricity.

Shadow Moon prepared to block the bolt, but then Andy, in his feral form, grabbed Shadow Moon from behind, restraining the arms of the dark warrior.

"Insufferable filth!" exclaimed Shadow Moon as he struggled to free himself from Andy's grip, "release me!"

Andy then roared something that was somewhere along the line of 'never!'

"Take this!" shouted Frankie. She then shot the bolt of electricity at Shadow Moon. Andy got out of the way just in time to avoid electrocution, but Shadow Moon was hit head on and was knocked off his feet. He landed on the ground hard and didn't get up.

"You got him, Frankie!" Andy shouted after reverting back to his humanoid form.

But then Shadow Moon got back up and shot a bolt of green lightning at Frankie, hitting her head on and knocking her ten feet into the air.

"Oh my ghoul!" shouted Toralei and Howleen as Frankie landed hard, the stitches across her body popping and she fell apart.

"Frankie!" Andy shouted as he rushed at her, only for Shadow Moon grabbed him and broke his arms, then threw Andy to the ground.

"You son of a bitch!" shouted Tess. She and Riku rushed at Shadow Moon, while Aiden moved off to the left and charged up a sphere of Alchemic energy.

But then Shadow Moon moved lightning fast again and delivered several cuts to Tess and Riku before they could react, followed by shooting more green lightning at Aiden, knocking him down and causing his alchemic blast to go off.

"Look out!" Aiden shouted as the wild blast hurtled towards Sora and Kairi. They dodged just in time to avoid being transmuted into who knows what. The blast went on and wound up hitting a destroyed restaurant, changing it in a flash of energy into a pile of rubber erasers.

"That was unexpected," said Aiden, "I was trying to spike the ground under the bastard, but I didn't finish the formula in my head. I wonder what exactly went wrong?"

"It's a shame you shall not live to see it!" said Shadow Moon. He then swiftly turned around and delivered a double sword strike to Kamen Rider Black, whom had tried attacking him from the side, only to be knocked down again in a shower of damage sparks.

"Stay where you are, Black Sun!" shouted Shadow Moon, "it will make your death less strenuous for both of us!" he then moved towards Sora and Kairi, "now, about the two love birds."

"We won't be going down so easy!" said Sora as he and Kairi activated their armor and got their Keyblades up, only for Shadow Moon to rush at him and deliver multiple strikes that severely damaged their armor before they could react, knocking them down.

"Sora!" shouted Kairi as she tried to get back up, only for her and Sora to be blasted at point blank rage by green lighting. Their armor shorted out and deactivated, leaving them both severely cut and bruised.

"Sora! Kairi!" shouted Tess as she tried to get up and activate her armor, only for her to gasp in shock as The Lord of Illusions grabbed her by her hair and pulled her up, holding a knife to her throat.

"I'm rather disappointed," the vile trickster whispered into Tess's ear, "I had hoped that your downfall would be more of a challenge, more satisfying."

"Too bad you couldn't do it yourself, you sack of pig vomit!" shouted Tess, only for The Lord of Illusions to cut her slightly on her neck, spilling a few drops of blood.

"You've had plenty of practice slitting throats, dear Tess," said The Lord of Illusions coldly, "perhaps you could give me a few pointers before you die!"

"Get away from her!" Riku shouted as he tried to get up, only for Brother Courtney to idly kick him down.

"Now, now," said Brother Courtney as he placed his foot atop Riku's neck, keeping him down, "let's not waste what little time we have left with unnecessary heroics." He then looked at Shadow Moon, "kill the lovers!"

"Gladly," said Shadow Moon.

"Stop it, Nobuhiko!" shouted Kamen Rider Black as he tried to get back up again.

"Take a good look, Black Sun!" said Shadow Moon as he raised his Satan Saber to deliver a fatal strike to Sora, "because after I've disposed of these vermin, you will be next!"

"I wouldn't be so eager to do that!" said Alegra.

"And why not!?" Shadow Moon asked.

"Because I've already used three of my aces," said Alegra as she grinned confidently.

"You and your aces," said a disgusted Lord of Illusions, "What good are your preverbal cards when the battle is already won!?"

"It's not over yet," said Alegra, "not when I have one more card to play," she then looked at her watch, "one more ace up my sleeve, which will pull itself out right about…"

Just then there came a loud report and a concentrated explosion knocked Shadow Moon twenty feet into the air.

"What!?" exclaimed Brother Courtney as he took a startled step back away from Riku, allowing him to roll away, while Tess elbowed The Lord of Illusions in the stomach, forcing the vile trickster away from her and dropping the knife. Tess then delivered a kick to his groin, then a punch to his nose, knocking the trickster to the ground.

"What just happened?" Sora asked as and Kairi helped each other back up.

From behind a burned building emerged the older version of Andrew Carpenter, a makeshift RPG launcher leaning against his shoulder, "that was me."

"Andrew?" Aiden asked as he and the others began to recover, "is…is that you?"

"I'm afraid you've mistaken me for a different Andrew Carpenter," said the man, "I'm from a different world, a different Bureau with a different set of Ramblers." He then glared hatefully at Brother Courtney, "a world you burned to ashes, you bastard!"

"I beg your pardon?" Brother Courtney asked in a confused and irate tone, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of your acquaintance."

"You really don't remember me," said Andrew angrily, "well, permit me to refresh your memory. Over fifty years ago, fifty for me that is, you were one of us, the ninth original Rambler."

"Nine?" Sora asked, "I thought there were supposed to be only eight."

"That's right," said Jana, "eight whom came together to stop The Heatherson Cult from destroying the world on December 31, 1999."

"Even on our world there were only eight," said Mark, while Steven, Felicia and Julia nodded in agreement.

"There were nine on my world," said Andrew, "with the ninth a traitor!" he then glared at Brother Courtney, "you never intended to help save the world. You sold us out to the cultists in exchange for power. It's a good thing you were so incompetent that we saw through your scheme before it was too late. You then ran away like the cowardly asshole you are!

"But you came back to try and destroy us again and again, each time we stopped you, Yet with each failure, your efforts improved. You murdered Kayle, Saul and Cal before the rest of us caught you and locked you up for trial and execution. But you escaped and you returned with your worst plan yet. You used that poor innocent girl, Laura Hurst, to rip open a hole in time and space, a hole straight to hell! My world was burned alive and I barely survived! Do you remember me now, Joseph Rombie!? Well! Do you!?"

At that Brother Courtney shook with fury, "don't call me that! I am Brother Courtney of the Enigma Order! Valued servant of Dai-Shocker!"

"You're nothing but a lying coward," said Andrew, "you always were and always will be, no matter what alias you use, no matter what group you hide behind!"

"Shut up!" shouted Brother Courtney, "Joseph Rombie doesn't exist! I am Brother Courtney! And you should be dead! All of those filthy mutants should be dead!"

"I should have died," said Andrew, "I should have burned with the rest of my friends; Max, Leon, Jeff, Gillian, Daniel, Virgil, John, Rebecca, Aaron, Tyler, Patricia," he then paused, a sob building in his throat and tears welling up in his eyes, "Jill, my love, my Jill, I should have been with them all."

He then glared at Alegra, "but this meddling bitch saw fit to save my life. She sent me to a parallel world, Metamore, where I partook in the liberation of that world from the vile clutches of Phobos."

"You fought with Caleb and the rebels?" Tess asked, "what about Will and the other Guardians? What about Elyon?"

"I met them all," said Andrew, "they became my new family, and Elyon, my closest, dearest friend, like the sister I never had, while I was the big brother to her that Phobos wasn't." He then glared at Brother Courtney, "but that doesn't matter any more. After over fifty years, I finally have a chance to avenge my lost world and fallen friends!"

"The only thing you have a chance at is death!" said Brother Courtney. He then charged up a sphere of dark magic.

"I have every intention of dieing here," said Andrew, "but before you dig my grave," his eyes then widened in horror and pointed at something behind Brother Courtney, "what the hell is that!?"

"What?!" Brother Courtney asked as he turned his head to look behind him. Andrew then pulled out his .475 Widley auto magnum, took aim and shot Brother Courtney in the heart. The vile monk gave a startled grunt and fell to the ground stone dead.

"You could never resist that," said Andrew in contemptuous tone as he holstered his pistol, "you always were an idiot."

"Well, isn't this a conundrum," said The Lord of Illusions in a slightly nervous tone, "should I stay and risk death? Or flee to fight another day?"

"I'd pick choice number two," said Tess coldly as she raised her Keyblade, "I'd run and keep running."

"Thanks for the suggestion," said The Lord of Illusions as he grinned mischievously, "until we meet again!" with that he vanished.

"Son of a bitch!" said Tess.

"We'll worry about that maniac later!" said Riku, "we've got other problems!"

By then Shadow Moon had gotten back up and was advancing towards Sora and Kairi again.

"This isn't exactly how I'd hope to use this," said Andrew as he pulled out a small blue sphere the size of a baseball, "I was hoping to shove this up Joseph's ass," he then looked at Shadow Moon, "but you'll do quite nicely!" he then threw the sphere at the dark warrior, whom then effortlessly sliced it in half with his Satan Saber, the two halves landing on the ground of either side of him.

"What was the point of that!?" Malcolm asked.

"The point was to get him to break it!" shouted Andrew triumphantly.

"What!?" shouted Shadow Moon. The two halves of the sphere then exploded with blue lightning that delivered massive spark damage to the dark warrior but didn't knock him down.

"Was that all?" a disappointed Andrew asked after checking his watch, "I thought it would have lasted at least ten seconds more. Well, you can't always get what you want."

"It's good enough for me!" shouted Yusuke as he took aim with his hand, his finger pointing at Shadow Moon and charged with spirit energy, "SPIRIT GUN!" the blast shot towards Shadow Moon, hitting the dark warrior in the chest and knocking him down.

"Don't give him an inch!" shouted Malcolm. He then shot a curse at Shadow Moon, knocking the dark warrior down again.

"Take this!" shouted both Sora and Kairi as they threw their Keyblades at Shadow Moon, hitting the dark warrior again.

"Kotaro!" shouted Alegra, "now's your chance!"

"Right!" said Kamen Rider Black. He then rushed at Shadow Moon and delivered several punches and kicks that left the dark rider severally disoriented and forcing him to drop the Satan Saber.

"Accio Sword!" shouted Tara as she aimed and cast the summoning spell with her wand. The blood red sword flew through the air and landed point first in the ground in front of her.

"Don't touch that thing!" shouted Zeneba, "it's cursed!"

"So we'll just get rid of it!" said Kuwabara. He then swung his Spirit Sword at the Satan Saber, but the second his blade of spirit energy touched the red sword, a jolt of dark energy shot through him, knocking Kuwabara on his back, leaving him scorched and dazed.

"Are you alright?" Chihiro asked as she and Haku helped him up.

"Dang is, sis," said Kuwabara in a woozy tone, "it's Sunday, leave me alone!" with that he passed out.

"Idiot," said Hiei as he and Kurama walked up, "this is how you destroy a cursed sword." he then took off the white headband around his forehead, revealing a light purple third eye.

"The Jigan Eye," said an impressed Yubaba, "with that you can track nearly anything. You must have a pain threshold the size of Mt. Fuji to have endured the surgery."

"It was…an unforgettable experience," said Hiei as his Jigan Eye looked at the Satan Saber. Hiei then readied his katana and delivered a lightning fast cut that shattered the Satan Saber.

"He struck at the exact breaking point," said Kurama, "the one spot on any object that will destroy if hit right."

"NO!" exclaimed an outraged Shadow Moon, "The Satan Saber! You'll pay for that!" he then jumped atop a nearby burned building and began charging up a sphere of green lightning, "you fools have irritated me long enough! I'll destroy this world and everyone in it!"

"No you don't!" shouted Rapunzel. She then threw her frying pan at Shadow Moon, hitting the dark warrior in the head with a loud 'Clang!' that knocked him off balance and canceling out the sphere of green lightning.

"Now!" shouted Kamen Rider Black. He then jumped up. At the apex of his jump, he then kicked off towards Shadow Moon, his fist aimed for the dark rider's head.

"RIDER PUNCH!"

His fist connected with Shadow Moon's head that knocked the dark rider off of the building to the ground.

Kamen Rider Black then jumped up again and aimed his foot at Shadow Moon, "RIDER KICK!"

His foot charged with energy and impacted Shadow Moon right in the center of the dark Rider's belt, cracking the green King Stone, delivering a storm of damage sparks and knocked the dark rider to the ground again.

"Is it over!?" Howleen asked.

"Not yet," said Alegra, "not just yet."

Shadow Moon then slowly got back up, smoke emitting from his arms, legs and chest. He then stumbled as more damage sparks erupted from his body and the cracks in his King Stone widened.

"Nobuhiko!" shouted Kamen Rider Black as, in a flash of green energy, he reverted back to the normal form of Minami Kotaro, "Nobuhiko! Please, I'm sorry."

"You've killed me yet again, Black Sun!" shouted Shadow Moon, "but your efforts are in vain!" more damage sparks shot from his body as he cried out in pain. Shadow Moon then regained his composure and glared at Kotaro, "so long as Dai-Shocker exists, I shall return, again and again, until I've destroyed you!

"Do you hear me, Black Sun! I shall destroy you!" with that, Shadow Moon fell down and exploded. When the blast cleared, there was nothing left but a few smoldering bits of scrap.

"Now it's over," said Alegra.

Just then Columbina appeared again, "no, it's just begun."

"Oh, not you again!" said Eugene, "haven't you had enough!?"

"It'll never be enough!" said Columbina, "not until Sora and all he loves is destroyed!"

"Why?!" Sora demanded, "why are you doing this to us?"

"What did we ever do to you?" Kairi asked.

"That's my dirty little secret," said Columbina hatefully, "not that it will help you, Sora. You may have survived this crisis, but my next strategy will be your undoing!"

"If you're so eager to kill us, then try it again!" Riku shouted as he, Tess, Malcolm, Sora, Kairi and Roxas glared at Columbina with their Keyblades ready, while Naminé readied a sphere of white magic.

"We've taken everything you've thrown at us," said Kairi, "overcame your worst, so go ahead and try again! We'll beat you!"

"It's alright, it's over for now," said Alegra. She then looked at Columbina, "she can't try anything at this moment because she's got nothing left."

"I may be out of resources for the moment," said Columbina, "but I can draw upon horrors beyond your darkest nightmares. Remember this, Sora! The next time we meet, I will destroy you and all you love!" with that she vanished.

"What a bitch," said an annoyed Mark. "Wish we could lock her up forever."

"Someone help me!" shouted Andy. Sora and the others then realized that he was over at the dismembered Frankie, franticly trying to tie her stitches back together, while Frankie's head was unconscious.

"Here!" shouted Zeneba as she summoned Frankie's damaged arm, "I finally remembered a repairing spell." She then used her magic to heal the damage to the arm, then summoned a needle and thread that began sewing Frankie back together all on its own.

"Use this too," said Julia as she pulled out the charging device, "you can thank me later for grabbing it."

Once Frankie was all stitched up, Andy attached the alligator clamps to Frankie's neck bolts and began cranking the charger, sending life-giving electricity into her body. Yet Frankie's eyes remained closed.

"Something's wrong," said Andy as he cranked the charger faster, "she's not waking up! Frankie! Wake up!"

"Easy, man!" said Hezekiah, "you're going to short her out like that."

"Her internal batteries must be damaged, or something," said Aiden as he walked over, "I really don't know, I'm not the scientist who built her."

"Wish Solaris was here," said Howleen, "she helped bring Frankie to life, she'd know what to do."

"Or we could heal her ourselves," said Kairi. She then placed her hands on Frankie and her healing light shone on the unconscious Monster. Yet nothing happened.

"I don't believe it," said Kairi, "it should have worked," she then touched Sora and healed his wounds, "there's nothing wrong with my powers, so why didn't it work on Frankie?"

"I don't know," said Malcolm. "I…I don't know what to do."

"Do something!" exclaimed Andy, "we can't just leave her like this!"

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Toralei asked, "cut her open to find out what's wrong?"

"I could try," said Chihiro. She then touched Frankie and focused, but nothing happened, "my power isn't working. But it worked before to heal Kairi's heart."

"Mine's not working either," said Rapunzel as she touched Frankie. Rapunzel then looked at Alegra, "this can't be the end for her. Why isn't anything we're doing working?"

"She can't die," said Andy, tears of sorrow falling from his eyes, "she just can't! I haven't even told her I love her! She can't die!"

"She won't die," said Alegra, "she will be healed," she then looked at Rapunzel, "she just needs the right _kind _of healing."

At that Rapunzel looked at Alegra with confused eyes, but then she blinked as understanding came to her, "you don't mean…? do you really think that will work?"

"Will what work?" Eugene asked. He then blinked as he understood, "oh, that! Yeah, that might just work."

"What will work?" Andy asked.

"Just trust me," said Rapunzel. She then held her hands over Frankie's heart and closed her eyes in concentration. After a few seconds, she began singing.

_Flower gleam and glowLet your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

As she sang, a golden radiance shone from her hands onto Kairi's heart, almost like sunlight.

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the fate's design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine_

After she finished singing, Rapunzel stood back. To everyone's astonishment, Frankie opened her eyes and sat up.

"Hey, everyone," said Frankie, "did we win!?"

"Frankie!" shouted Andy as he flung his arms around her, while Howleen and Toralei also hugged her.

"You did it, Rapunzel!" said Alegra triumphantly, "you fully realized your power."

"NO!" exclaimed Gothel as she glared hatefully at Rapunzel, "no! You can't do that!"

"She already did," said Chihiro. She then looked at Alegra, "but if Rapunzel's powers are up and running, what about mine? I healed Kairi's heart too."

"True, you used pure healing magic," said Alegra, "but Rapunzel was born a natural healer. You, Ognio Chihiro, your path lies elsewhere."

"This cannot be!" exclaimed Gothel, "Rapunzel can't have woken her powers up! She can't have!"

"Her powers are awake," said Alegra, "she has fully connected with her pure heart, making her truly a Princess of Heart."

"I deny it!" exclaimed Gothel, "I deny that she's a full Princess of Heart now! I need the untapped power of her heart to become omnipotent! I need her untapped heart!"

"It doesn't matter if her heart's tapped or untapped," said Alegra, "there never was a ritual to make you a god. You and so many others were played by Columbina like a harp from hell."

"NO!" Gothel raged, "I deny it! I DENY IT!"

"Oh shut up!" shouted Eugene, "admit it, you've lost and you'll never hut anyone again!"

"I do not lose!" exclaimed Gothel, "I cannot lose! I am GODDESS!"

"Will you please shut up!?" Malcolm shouted.

"Can I borrow this?" Kairi asked as she walked up to Rapunzel, holding the frying pan.

"By all means, bash her brains out," said an outraged Rapunzel. Kairi then walked over to Gothel.

"You stupid little girl!" shouted Gothel, "bow down before your Goddess!"

Kairi responded by swinging the frying pan, hitting Gothel on the forehead and knocking the mad woman out cold again.

"I could have used a Sleep spell," said Malcolm.

"This was more satisfying," said Kairi. She then looked at the frying pan in amazement, "this is without a doubt, the most underrated weapon ever."

"We'll be sure to have the guards outside her cell armed with them," said Julia, "now, if you'll excuse us, we've got a prisoner to transport." She then looked at Frankie, Howleen, Andy and Toralei, "you guys ready to go home?"

"Already?" Frankie asked.

"The missions' over," said Steven, "we won. Kairi's okay now, we stopped Columbina and delivered a massive blow to Dai-Shocker."

"I'd say we earned our gold stars for the week," said Mark.

"Yeah, I think we've earned plenty of House Points today," said Tara.

"And our paychecks," said Hezekiah, while Jana nodded in agreement.

"I just wanna go home," said Yusuke as he helped Kuwabara stand up, "I've got a lot of vegging out to catch up on."

"Yeah, I feel like I could sleep a week," said Kuwabara.

"I just want to go home," said Andrew, "I'm getting too old for this crap."

"I won't argue with you on that," said Alegra. She then looked at Kotaro, "I assume you wish to return to your world as well?"

"Absolutely," said Kotaro. He then looked at Sora and the others, "I'm glad to have met you all, but I've got to get back home. Gorgom may have been destroyed, but my world is still venerable to attack. I have to be there to keep watch."

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Sora. He and Kotaro then shook hands, then the rest of our heroes shook hands with their allies from other worlds and saying their farewells.

Five portals were then opened up. Kotaro go on Battle Hopper and rode through the first one, while Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama went through the second.

"We'll tell Cleo, Jill and the others you're alright, Kairi!" said Frankie as she, Howleen, Toralei, Andy, Felicia, Julia, Mark and Steven headed towards one of the portals, with the last two carrying the unconscious and bound Gothel.

"Tell everyone there I said hi," said Kairi, "and give my best to Violet."

"And tell Jill to find someone," said Andrew, "I never had a chance to tell my Jill I loved her."

"She already knows," said Mark.

"In that case," said Andrew. He then looked at Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders, "if you run into another version of Jill and she doesn't have another version of me, then tell her to find love where she can and to live to the fullest."

"We'll remember," said Sora, while Kairi and the others nodded.

"Thank you," said Andrew. He then looked at his watch, "now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to make dinner for Elyon, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And then of course, there's the families of Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin."

"How many mouths to feed are you talking about?" Howleen asked.

"Quite a lot," said Andrew. With that he walked into one of the remaining portals.

"Sora, it's been an honor and a privilege," said Tara, "keep in touch."

"You got it," said Andrew. With that Tara, Jana and Hezekiah entered the fourth portal.

"Bye!" said Frankie. With that she, Andy, Toralei, Howleen, Julia, Mark, Steven, Felicia and the unconscious Gothel, entered the last portal. All five portals then closed up.

"Well, that was a rather unique experience," said Yubaba. She then summoned an abacus as she looked around at the burned buildings and at the damaged bathhouse.

"I thought you would have more profound words to say, dear sister," said Zeneba.

"I'm calculating, sister of mine," said Yubaba as she worked out a figure on the abacus, "I don't have time for words…yes…yes. Assuming my math is correct, and it usually is, I'd say the total repair cost for the bathhouse, the grounds, the hotel and its grounds and the restaurants comes to eight hundred and forty-seven billion Yen."

"Eight hundred and forty-seven billion Yen!?" Sora exclaimed in a horrified tone, while Kairi and the others looked equally appalled.

"Eight hundred and forty-seven billion yen, exactly," said Yubaba, "now, who's going to pay for the repairs?"

"I thought you were insured!" Chihiro shouted.

"I am," said Yubaba smugly, "but there's also the psychological trauma inflicted on myself and my loyal workers. Where's the compensation for us? Now, about that money?"

"It'd take a hundred lifetimes of slaying Heartless to collect that much Munny," said Aiden,

"Well, someone has to pay to get my bathhouse back to normal," said Yubaba.

"Just relax," said Alegra as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a checkbook, "eight hundred and forty-seven billion yen?" she then wrote out a check for that number and currency, then handed it to Yubaba, "here, this should cover everything to the last coin. Go on, take it, it's good."

"Where do you have all that money that you can throw it away?" Tess asked as Yubaba took the check.

"I've been opening bank accounts on multiple worlds for over a thousand years," said Alegra, "I've got more money than I could ever spend in ten-thousand years."

"Yes, this will do quite nicely," said Yubaba as she pocketed the check.

Just then Lin ran up to Yubaba, "boss, I've got good news."

"It's about time I had some," said Yubaba, "what is it?"

"The bath floor, water pipes, boiler room and kitchens are still intact," said Lin, "a little cleaning up and we can be open for business by tomorrow."

"Well, I guess I need to recalculate," said Yubaba as she worked on her abacus again.

"You'll have enough left over to afford giving out a few free passes, dear sister of mine," said Zeneba.

"Free passes?" Yubaba asked, "why would I ever do that?"

"Because you owe Sora and his companions for saving not only your life, but your business," said Zeneba, "you owe them at least a few days of rest and recovery."

"I'll send them fruit baskets and thank you cards," said Yubaba.

"You'll allow them use of the bathhouse for a week or else," said Zeneba.

"Or else what?" Yubaba asked.

"Or else I'll tell everyone about that outstanding warrant The Judoon has over you," said Zeneba, "how you bribed a judicial official to get those rhino aliens to back off, and don't get me started on how much The Sontarans hate you."

"You wouldn't!" exclaimed Yubaba, "you're my sister!"

"Yes I am," said Zeneba smugly, "a week or I'll spill your dirty secrets to everyone on your contact list."

At that Yubaba looked like she was ready to explode. But she calmed down a bit and spoke rationally, "a week's too long. One full day."

"Five," said Zeneba.

"Two," said Yubaba.

"Four," said Zeneba.

"Three," said Yubaba.

"Three and membership discount," said Zeneba.

"Membership discount?" Yubaba asked, "what nonsense is this?"

"Your regular customers will pay a small fee for a slightly lower price," said Zeneba, "plus overly priced merchandise and souvenirs. Trust me, a slight dip in profits will lead to greater rewards."

"Since when have you been so business savvy?" Yubaba asked.

"I impersonated you for nearly five years," said Zeneba, "I picked up a few tricks."

"In that case," said Yubaba as she looked at Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, "you're welcome to stay. The bathhouse is yours to enjoy for seventy two hours, plus the chance to sign up for the new membership." She then looked at Rapunzel and Eugene, "you've still got three days left on your honeymoon package as well."

"Sounds like a group vacation to me," said Eugene.

"If you don't mind," said Alegra, "I shall take my leave. There's still much to do, so much information to discover, secrets to uncover."

"Secrets about Columbina," said Tess, "I hope you figure out how to kill that bitch."

"I'll do my best," said Alegra, "oh, before I forget, good luck, Sora. You and the others, you're going to need it on your search."

"Search?" Riku asked, "what search?"

But then Alegra had vanished.

"I hate it when she does that," said Aiden.

"Yeah," said Tess, "but I'm starting to get used to her."

"So, we've got three days of vacation," said Kairi, "let's make the most of it by getting cleaned up."

"Last one to the tubs is 'it' for naked hide and seek!" said Malcolm.

"What's naked hide and seek?" Roxas asked.

"If you don't know, then you're really not that smart," said Malcolm.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"They are truly angry with each other," said Lady Tremaine as she, Gaston and Regina stood outside the viewing room. Beyond the closed door, they could hear Maleficent and Xehanort shouting at each other.

The argument had broken out the moment the villains saw Shadow Moon explode on The Interocitor. Xehanort had accused Maleficent of wasting so much effort on making Sora suffer, an effort that resulted in making his bond with Kairi only stronger. On the other hand, Maleficent accused Xehanort of failing to do anything to contribute to Sora's suffering. Regina and the other villains exited the room in order to avoid being hit by any potentially thrown dark magic attacks.

"Do you think they'll destroy each other?" Gaston asked.

"Hardly," said Regina as she walked up to them, "they still need each other to further their plans. But," she then smiled wickedly, "we do not need them."

"What are you talking about?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"I'm talking about removing Maleficent and Xehanort from the equation, permanently," said Regina, "their ambitions are far too overreaching, far too unreasonable. They seek to rule all, they see ultimate power. But I have more rational goals in sight."

"You're planning on taking over," said Gaston.

"Yes," said Regina, "and I'd like the two of you to help me in the coup and in setting up the new order afterwards."

"Why should we help you?" Lady Tremaine asked as she crossed her arms, "what is to prevent me from going to Maleficent and informing her of your betrayal?"

"Because you know that no matter what you do to please Maleficent, you'll never be nothing more than a slave to her," said Regina, "a tool that will be discarded the instant you're usefulness ends." She looked at Gaston, "the same applies to you. Insano may have found you interesting enough to experiment on, but he will grow tired of you in the end."

"And you won't?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Not if you agree to help me," said Regina, "I know how to reward those whom show loyalty."

"What do you have to offer that we'll want?" Gaston asked.

"For you, a cure for your condition," said Regina, "Sephiroth and I have been working to get Insano on our side."

"Sephiroth is with you?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"He came to me and asked for an alliance," said Regina, "I never trusted him to begin with, but we have a mutual understanding. As for the degenerate scientist, I sent him a sample of Maleficent's potion, the same concoction that keeps us hale and whole. It's only a matter of time before he synthesizes it and provides us with a steady supply, thereby rendering our dependence on Maleficent' null and void.

"As for the threat of Gaston exploding, it wouldn't take much to convince Insano to correct the flaw in Gaston's body. You'll still have your destructive power, but it will no longer build up to the point of self-destruction. The same could be done for you, Tremaine, so you would no longer be consumed by emptiness when you do not have enough hearts to torment."

"A tempting scheme," said Lady Tremaine in a thoughtful manner, "very tempting."

"What about Dio Brando?" Gaston asked.

"I believe he will be content with whomever is in charge," said Regina, "so long as he is provided with opportunities to spread chaos and death, he will be happy."

"Then consider us a part of your cabal," said Lady Tremaine.

"Yes," said Gaston, "so, when do we make our move?"

"As soon Insnao synthesizes the potion," said Regina, "after that, all we need to do is wait for the right opportunity to present itself. When it does, we will strike down Xehanort and Maleficent once and for all!"

Just then a green and white-skinned alien with four yellow eyes and wearing a blue and white uniform, flanked by two robotic aliens in blue armor, with arms like laser cannons, approached Regina and the other two villains. The uniformed alien was carrying a sealed parchment envelope.

"Pardon my intrusion," said the uniformed alien, "but have I reached Castle Oblivion?"

"You have," said Regina, "what is the nature of your intrusion?"

"I am an emissary of the Space Empire Zangyack," said the uniformed alien, "I come with a message for Master Xehanort and Mistress Maleficent."

"You can go right on home, kido," said Gaston, "Xehanort hates Zangyack and your emperor."

"Maleficent might be interested," said Lady Tremaine, she then indicated the room where Maleficent and Xehanort were still shouting at each other, "but I doubt she's in any mood to receive any visitors, regardless of their mission."

"My message is for both," said the alien courier, "and my message did not come from Emperor Akudos Gill."

Just then the shouting stopped and the door burst open, an enraged Maleficent and Xehanort glaring out into the hallway.

"What is all of this muttering about!?" Maleficent demanded, "we are trying to have an argument here!"

"You've got mail," said Gaston, "from Zangyack no less."

"Send them away!" shouted Xehanort, "I want nothing to do with Akudos Gill!"

"I beg your indulgence, Master Xehanort," said the alien courier, "part of my message is to inform you of tragic news."

"Tragic?" Xehanort asked, "tragic how?"

"It is my sad duty to inform you, Master Xehanort," said the alien courier, "that Emperor Akudos Gill, supreme overlord of a million worlds, slayer of billions and conqueror of the stars, has fallen in battle."

"He's dead?" Xehanort asked in a surprised tone.

"Slain by the vile Captain Marvelous and his fellow space pirates," said the alien courier in a contemptuous tone.

"That old cocksucker," said Xehanort in an astonished tone, "I'd thought nothing could kill him. What of his idiotic, paranoid, hyperactive lunatic of a son?"

"Prince Warz Gill has also fallen," said the alien courier, "slain by the very same space pirate filth several months ago. The empire has suffered great losses by the hands of those wretched Gokaigers."

"The empire has my sympathies," said Xehanort, "but why come to me? It was common knowledge that I hated Akudos Gill and his fool of a son."

"True," said the alien courier, "but my message came from Her Highness, Karlaz Gill, the heir apparent, someone whom you have no qualm against, Master Xehanort."

"Akudos had another child?" Xehanort asked in an intrigued tone.

"Very few outside the Emperor's court knew," said the alien courier, "but she knew of you, Master Xehanort," he then handed the sealed parchment envelope to Xehanort, "and it is my sworn duty to deliver her regards to you."

Xehanort took the envelope and broke the seal, which was of an alien bird stamped onto red wax. He then took out a parchment letter penned in an alien language. At the bottom of the page was a larger seal, this one of two alien dragons holding a sword and a riffle around a crest of an alien skull.

"What is it?" Maleficent asked as she looked at the letter over Xehanort's shoulder, "what does this Karlaz Gill say?"

"I believe this, my dear," said a wickedly smiling Xehanort, "is the answer to all of our problems."

"And the opportunity we've been waiting for," Regina whispered to Lady Tremaine and Gaston.

**The end of chapter 10.**

_It's not over yet, fellow readers and writers, so stay tuned!_


	12. Epilog: Tying Up Loose Ends

**Epilog: Tying Up Loose Ends**

From their portal emerged Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama onto the streets of Tokyo.

"Man, that had to have been the weirdest case yet," said Yusuke as the portal closed up behind them, "I mean, seriously, a bathhouse for ghosts and spirits? Teenage Monsters? Mutants and all that other crazyness? It's like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon."

"I thought you liked Saturday morning cartoons, Urameshi," said Kuwabara.

"I do," said Yusuke, "if it's a good cartoon."

"I find that the quality of televised animation is in the eye of the beholder," said Kurama, "the show in particular may be liked for its storylines but hated for the animation style. On the other hand, there are those who enjoy the animation style but hate the voice acting. There are those who enjoy for the sake of enjoyment and hate for the sake of hating."

"Humph!" said an annoyed Hiei, "personally, I think that television is overrated. The amount of time humans waste gazing at that idiot box is disgusting."

"Hey, don't you badmouth TV!" said Kuwabara irately, "if we didn't have TV, then we wouldn't have pay-per-view sports."

"Pay-per-view?" Yusuke asked nervously, "what day is it?"

"The day after yesterday, obviously," said Kuwabara.

"I know that, you blockhead!" shouted Yusuke, "I mean what day of the week? Is it still Saturday?"

"I was," said Kurama, "but it's now Sunday."

"Oh crap!" exclaimed a horrified Yusuke, "Keiko's gonna rip my head off!"

"Huh? Why's Keiko gonna do that?" Kuwabara asked.

"We were supposed to watch Wrestlemania at her house," said Yusuke, "I promised her that if she'd get her folks to order the show, then I'd pay them back."

"Why would you make such a promise?" Kurama asked.

"And since when could you afford to pay for Wrestlemania?" Kuwabara asked suspiciously.

"Because I really wanted to watch Wrestlemania," said Yusuke. He then continued in a sheepish tone, "and I'd figure out how to pay them back later." he then frowned, "but that doesn't matter since I completely blew Keiko off to go after Shadowcast. She still doesn't know that I'm a Spirit Detective, so I can't tell her I was off in spirit world chasing after energy vampires and fighting dark creatures and saving all of existence from a fate worse than death."

"Well, good luck with coming up with a convincing excuse, detective," said Hiei, "I'm out of here." With that he vanished in the blink of an eye.

"I should be going as well," said Kurama, "I have a lot of homework to catch up on and my mother will no doubt be worried." With that he ran off.

"Betcha wish your mom worried about you like that, huh, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked.

"Oh shut up, Kuwabara!" said Yusuke irately, "just help me think of what to tell Keiko. I just know she'll try to beat my head in with a hammer the second she sees me."

"Well, you've got two choices, my friend," said Kuwabara in an overly bravado tone, "you can either avoid her for a week, or two, or for the rest of your live, or…"

"Or what?" Yusuke asked suspiciously.

"Or you can take your lumps like a man and beg Keiko for forgiveness," said Kuwabara.

"Thanks, but I'll just skip school for a few days until she calms down," said Yusuke, "and only talk to her when there's not a hammer in sight."

"Oh, come on, Urameshi," said Kuwabara, "how mad could she be?"

Just then they saw a girl about their age with long brown hair tied in two pony tails with brown eyes, wearing an orange sweater, a blue skirt and plain tennis shoes, carrying a hammer in her hands and an outraged look on her face as she glared hatefully at Yusuke.

"She's that mad," said a visibly nervous Yusuke. "Uh, hi, Keiko, sorry I forgot about Wrestlemania."

"I'm gonna kill you, Yusuke!" the girl, Keiko shouted as she rushed at Yusuke with the hammer raised. Yusuke easily got out of the way from her hammer swings and ran for it, with Keiko hot on his trail.

"Just take it easy, Keiko!" Yusuke shouted as he ducked a blow aimed at his head, "I didn't mean to forget! I had work!"

"I don't care!" Keiko shouted as she continued to swing her hammer at Yusuke, "you told my mom and dad that you'd pay them for ordering your stupid wrestling show and then you never even showed up to watch!"

"I said I was sorry!" Yusuke shouted, "I'll still pay your old man back!"

"You'll pay more than money after I'm done with you!" shouted Keiko.

"Love sure can be rough sometimes," said Kuwabara as he watched Keiko chase Yusuke out of sight.

* * *

**…Metamore…2065 A.D…**

Andrew emerged from his portal into his workshop in the castle.

"Never thought I'd be coming back from that one," said Andrew as he took his jacket, holster and watch off. He placed them all back in the chest, locked it and looked at the key, as if unsure what to do with it.

Just then Elyon burst into the workshop, "you…you're back!" the former queen shouted.

"Yep," said Andrew, "I'm back, and this time it was surprisingly easy. I didn't even get to use half of my ordinance. Guess having susbspace pockets for pockets can lead to overkill." He then looked at Elyon, "but we don't have to worry about that anymore. That truly was the last time."

"Then you did it?" Elyon asked, "you avenged your world and friends?"

"I put Joseph Rombie in his grave," said Andrew, "Jill and the others can finally rest in peace. Yes, I'm finished being a Rambler. I'm home and I'm never leaving again."

"Thank God!" said Elyon happily as she hugged Andrew, "for a moment I thought I'd lose you, big brother!"

"It's okay, little sis," said Andrew as he hugged her back, "so, anything big happen while I was away?"

"Nothing serious," said Elyon, "I had to help my granddaughter settle a few minor trade disputes and redraw a property line. Oh, Kadma and Halinor are coming for dinner, do you mind making a little more of your fabulous casserole?"

"You know I always cook too much whenever I'm planning a feast," said Andrew, "Yan Lin's also coming and so is Cassidy, so the more the merrier."

"That's perfect," said Elyon. With that the two unofficial siblings walked out of the workshop hand in hand, happy that things turned out well for them and their loved ones.

* * *

**…a parallel Japan…**

Kotaro and Battle Hopper emerged from their portal onto the streets of their Tokyo. They stopped and Kotaro looked back at the closing portal. He then smiled and drove ahead. He rode with a confident feeling that all was well, yet remained vigilant for any sign of evil. Kotaro knew that if the forces of darkness should ever rise again, then so would he rise to face them as Kamen Rider Black.

* * *

**…Canterlot…Equestria…**

"That was so COOL!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she hopped around Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, "we were all like inside this girl's mind and there were these really creepy zombies and this horrible tentacle thing! And then we helped that really nice human save that other really nice human! It was so cool! Let's do it again!"

"Not on your life, Pinkie Pie!" shouted Rarity, "one journey into another being's mind was enough."

"But we seriously kicked some zombie butt today!" said Rainbow Dash.

"You said it!" remarked Applejack, "if anything, bucking zombies is more fun than chasing a greased pig at a summer picnic. We sure showed those things."

"You do realize that those horrible creatures weren't truly real," said Rarity, "that they were merely the product of dark magic."

"Real or not, they were real scary and dangerous," said Rainbow Dash, "but I wasn't scared, no sir!" just then a butterfly landed on her hindquarters, startling Rainbow Dash so much she yelped in fright and shot towards the ceiling, leaving the butterfly dizzy and disoriented.

"Oh, you poor thing," said Fluttershy in a concerned tone as she stood underneath the butterfly and allowed it to land on her back, "here, let me take you back outside. I know a shortcut to the palace gardens where there's so many flowers full of yummy nectar, you won't know which one to taste first!"

"Thanks for worrying about me!" Rainbow Dash called from the ceiling, where she was tangled in a crystal chandelier.

"Do you think Sora and Kairi are alright, Princess Luna?" Twilight Sparkle as the elder Alicorn used her magic to untangle Rainbow Dash.

"I believe so," said Luna, "hearts such as those belonging to Sora and Kairi can overcome any obstacle. Fear not, Twilight Sparkle. If my understanding of fate and destiny is accurate, then before too long, our new friends will come to visit us," she then frowned slightly, "and may the stars help us if they bring their troubles with them."

"Then we'd better get ready for them," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Easier said than done," Luna remarked, "for when preparing for Keyblade Wielders, expect the unexpected."

"You won't get any arguments from me," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Hey, why so serious?" Pinkie Pie asked, "turn those frowns upside down! I know what will cheer everyone up! CUPCAKES! Last one to the kitchen doesn't get to lick the spoons!" she then galloped for a nearby set of doors and was about to open the one on the left.

"Wait! Not that one!" shouted Luna, but Pinkie Pie had turned the handle with her hoof and opened the door. She was then buried by an avalanche of closet clutter, ranging from fishing poles to hat boxes, from empty ink bottles to decorative accessories, even a chipped kitchen sink.

"My stars! Pinkie!" Rarity shouted as she, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Luna rushed over.

"Pinkie Pie! Say something!" said Fluttershy as Applejack began pawing through the clutter, while Twilight Sparkle and Luna moved the junk with their magic.

"Give us a sign you're still with us!" shouted Applejack.

Pinkie Pie then burst out from the pile of junk, holding a bag of candy corn between her hooves, "hey, I think this is still good!" she said as she began happily munching on the sweets.

"I knew I forgot something," said Luna, "I really should clean out that closet someday." At that she and the other Ponies laughed.

* * *

**…Hogwarts…**

"And that's it, Headmistress," said Tara as she, Jana and Hezekiah sat in McGonagall's office, while Harry, Ron, Hermione, Max, Andrew and Jill were there too, as well as Angelina, Neville, Cho, Ashley and J.D. All around them were portraits of the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts, with the portrait of Albus Dumbledore behind McGonagall's desk, all of them snoring loudly.

"So, all is well again with young Sora and Kairi," said McGonagall.

"Thank goodness," said Hermione.

"I can't believe that our viewing device couldn't follow you after you left the other New York," said Jill.

"Must have been something strange with that world," said Ron.

"And there's the question of Columbina," said Max, "what's her story?"

"As far as we know, she's a psycho bitch with a major chip on her shoulder," said Hezekiah.

"And a really horrible sense of fashion," said Jana, "but that's my opinion."

"Nevertheless," said McGonagall, "the three of you have performed outstandingly, especially you, Ms. Underhill, far beyond the most that any student of Hogwarts could ever be asked of."

"It wasn't really that serious, Headmistress," said Tara modestly.

"On the contrary," said McGonagall, "you've accomplished something no other Hogwarts student has ever done before."

"You're the first witch from our world to travel to _two _consecutive worlds and returned unscathed," said Cho, "no doubt there'll be books written about your experience, not to mention a whole chapter in the next edition of Hogwarts: A History."

"You two earned your Brownie Points as well," said Ashley to Jana and Hezekiah.

"For your first field mission, you were utterly fantastic," said J.D.

"I'll admit, it wasn't easy," said Hezekiah.

"Does it ever get easy?" Jana asked Jill, Andrew and Max.

"Never," said Max, "only less difficult."

"Some days you get more lucky than others," said Andrew, "and sometimes, you wake up on that one in a million day where you finish the mission with no collateral damage."

"I'm just glad that you managed to complete the mission without anyone else dieing," said Jill. She then looked at Andrew's watch, "is Leon still down in the village?"

"He and Aberforth are still seeing who can out drink the other under the table," said Neville.

"And here I thought he was getting a handle on his drinking problem," said Jill, "oh well, you can't get everything you want."

"But it does feel good when you do," said Andrew. "I'm just glad that that other me managed to find a good place to live, a new family, a new home."

"And my counterpart is on her way to finding new love," said Jill. She then looked at her husband, "where as I am happy with this love right here."

"Likewise," said Andrew. With that he and Jill kissed.

"So, what happens now?" Jana asked.

"Now, you and Hezekiah return to Washington to give Assistant Director Walker your report," said Ashley, "and also work on your speeches."

"What speeches?" Hezekiah asked.

"For accepting your Congressional Medals of Honor," said Ashley, "it'll be a private ceremony of course, Bureau personal, plus friends and family in the know, but you'll receive the honors for the mission without a doubt."

"And you, Ms. Underhill, are surely to be nominated for the Order of Merlin First Class," said McGonagall.

"Order of Merlin?" Tara asked in a slightly shaky tone, "but…Headmistress…I didn't do anything that important."

"You took The Necronomicon back from that vile prick, Olaf," said Jill, "and helped save Sora and the others nearly half a dozen times."

"Rowena Ravenclaw and the other Founders wouldn't be more proud of a student in any of their Houses," said Cho.

"But I can't accept the medal," said Tara, "I don't want to be famous. I just want to be the best witch I can be."

"You'll take the medal and all that goes with it," said Angelina in an insisting tone, "you'll take it and like it because you earned it."

"I don't feel like I earned it," said Tara in a subdued tone as she looked down at her shoes.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked.

"Like I've been dragged through Hell and back," Tara, "I saw the worst of humanity and inhumanity. I've seen evil in its purest form, darkness of the worst kind, and I feel like I'll never be the same again."

"Ditto," said Jana, while Hezekiah nodded in agreement.

Tara then looked up, a more confident expression on her face, "but that's no reason for me to wallow in misery. I stared right into the face of evil and spat in its eye! I helped save two innocent hearts from being torn to pieces and saved two worlds from a fate worse than death. If anything, it makes me want to keep fighting the darkness, not for fame and glory, but because it is right."

"Likewise," said Hezekiah, while Jana nodded in agreement.

"Well, if that's what you want," said Harry, "then the next step should be applying to the Auror Office."

"I think I'd like that," said Tara, "but I've been working to become a historian."

"And you'd make a fantastic scholar of historical magic," said Cho, "but you'd be an even greater Auror."

"You did achieve Outstanding's in your O.W.L.s in Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts," said McGonagall, "it shouldn't be too difficult to ensure that the rest of your 7th year prepares you for the proper N.E.W.T's next summer."

"An Auror," said Tara as she smiled brightly, "that actually sounds good. If it's alright, Headmistress, I should go tell Cass, Kylie and the others."

"By all means, inform your friends of the good news," said McGonagall.

"And you two should go down to the village so you can call your friends and comrades back in Washington," said J.D. to Jana and Hezekiah.

"Will do!" said Jana. With that she, Hezekiah and Tara hurried out of the room.

"I'm still figuring out how to get cell reception inside the school," said Ashley in a thoughtful tone, "the conundrum of The Hogwarts Effect will haunt me to my grave."

"There are some aspects of magic that cannot be combined with science," said Cho.

"I can still try," said Ashley in a confident tone.

"In the meantime," said Max, "we'd better get ready."

"For what?" Hermione asked.

"For the next crisis that Columbina talked about," said Harry, "I don't like the idea of getting involved in more trouble, my niece and godson are involved already, so I'm going to do everything I can to help them and the rest of our friends from other worlds."

"We all are," said Max, while Jill, Andrew, Hermione, Ron and the others nodded in agreement.

Just then the door burst open and Draco stormed in, "Am I to understand that Underhill and those two Meta Humans have returned?"

"You just missed them, Malfoy," said Angelina, "they told us everything."

"And you did not think it was wise to inform me!?" Draco shouted.

"No, we didn't," said Andrew in a matter of fact tone, "now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll slip down to the kitchens and teach the House Elves my recipe for lasagna."

"I think I'll join you," said Hermione, "it's been a while since I checked in on the House Elves."

"I thought you were done with spew," said Jill.

"Don't bring spew up again!" Ron groaned.

"It's not spew!" Hermione exclaimed as she, Harry, Ron, Jill, Andrew, Max, Ashley, J.D, Neville, Angelina and Cho walked out of the room, "it's S.P.E.W, the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare! Honestly!"

"Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked.

Draco then realized that he and McGonagall were the only ones left in the room. "Uh…no, Professor McGonagall, there isn't."

"Then I bid you a good afternoon," said McGonagall as she sat at her desk and began sorting through some paperwork. Draco stood there for a few seconds before walking out, a disgruntled look on his face.

Just then the portrait of Dumbledore woke up and spoke to McGonagall, "the more things change, the more the stay the same. Wouldn't you agree, Minerva?"

"I'll admit, Albus," said McGonagall, "that there are aspects of our childhoods that we never grow out of." She then sighed, "another war is approaching, one greater than anything before."

"I won't make any predictions, Minerva," said Dumbledore, "but considering how often my guesses have been correct, then I'd say that we are on the verge of a crisis that will change everything."

"Then I agree with Mr. Kildare," said McGonagall, "we had best get ready."

* * *

**…Washington D.C., Bureau Headquarters…**

"Well done, ya'll, well done," said Patricia as she sat with Julia, Mark, Steven and Felicia, "I'll expect a more official report later, but what you just told me makes things that much better."

"It wasn't easy, Patricia," said Julia, "for a moment, I thought we were all finished."

"Oh, it wasn't that hard," said Steven, "I wasn't worried."

"At least until Shadow Moon showed up," said Mark.

"Yeah," said Steven reluctantly, "that guy made my skin crawl."

"We stopped Dai-Shocker, this time," said Felicia, "but they'll be back."

"And we'll be ready for them," said Patricia, "oh, and don't worry about your prisoner. I'll make sure that lunatic never sees the light of day again."

"Good," said Felicia. "So, how's Jill and Violet?"

"They're doing alright," said Patricia, "Violet's still depressed, but that's normal. Jill plans on letting Violet mourn for another week or so before getting her back on her feet. I heard she's gonna take Violet shopping, to a spa for a full makeover and then clubbing."

"God help her," said Julia.

"And God help Toralei when she learns about the hazing she'll be put through," said Steven, "she'll rip out our eyes for that."

"That's assuming she's approved to join," said Patricia. Her phone then chimed with an incoming memo. "Hmmm…imagine that, she's been approved."

"God help The Bureau," said Mark, "with Toralei Stripe as an agent, things will never be the same."

"Things are already different," said Patricia, "Lilith von Hellscream was approved just this morning."

"Now I know we're in trouble," said Felicia.

* * *

Deep within the bowls of The Bureau was a level dedicated to keeping dangerous humans, Meta Humans and other creatures locked up. One of these cells was secured with a door with a dozen locks, each in a different style raining from a simple deadbolt to optic and palm print scanners. The door and the padded walls of the cell had pressure sensors to detect any tampering, while multiple cameras covered the room from all angles.

Gothel sat in one corner of the room, bound in a straight jacket, an empty expression on her face. Yet behind her expressionless eyes, her mad mind was waiting for the right opportunity to escape, the right opportunity to resume her vendetta against Rapunzel, the right opportunity to seize revenge.

* * *

**…Monster High…**

"Oh my Ra, Frankie!" shouted Cleo, "you actually popped all your stitches?" She and the other Ghoulfriends were sitting under one of the trees outside the school with Frankie, along with Deuce, Clawd, Heath, Jackson, Operetta, Clair, Lilith, Chad and Andy.

"That must have hurt like a kiss from a hagfish," said Lagoona.

"Actually, it didn't," said Frankie, "I was shorted out before all my stitches came undone. Next thing I knew, I heard Rapunzel singing and I was back. That girl's got a really great voice."

"Wish you recorded a demo for me," said Operetta, "I could have written and mixed an album for her."

"She's certainly on my 'awesome' list," said Howleen, "her and Chihiro."

"Two Princesses of Heart," said Clair, "good luck to them, it's not something I'd want. It's dangerous being a Princess of Heart, all those villains out for your blood and that bitch Columbina out to turn you evil."

"I'd give her cold shoulder she never forget!" said Abbey.

"And I'd really turn up the heat!" said Heath.

"Yeah, well, she lost and won't be bothering anyone for a while," said Frankie.

"Good," said Lilith, "it'll give us time to get ready. Columbina said that another crisis was coming, something worse than anything before. I for one intend to be ready."

"Shouldn't you be at The Bureau in Washington?" Clawdeen asked.

"I don't start until tomorrow," said Lilith, "and by the way," she then indicated the form-fitting tan jacket with the BPRD symbol on the front, "this is absolutely perfect!" she then twirled around so everyone could see, "I'm serious, Clawdeen, you're a fashion genius."

"I'm just glad you'll get to show it off to your new coworkers," said Clawdeen.

"Make sure you get one for me," said Chad, "as soon as I finish the paperwork, I'm coming with you, Lilith."

"Chad, dear, sweet, Chad," said Lilith as she touched his shoulder, a compassionate look on her face, "I know now how much you care for me, and I care for you too. But seriously, how can you expect to join The Bureau? You're not a Meta Human and you're not a warrior."

"I'm still a man willing to do what is right and stand against the darkness," said Chad, "they'll teach me how to fight."

"Don't argue with him, Lilith," said Clair, "he's not letting you go," she then looked at Jackson, "just as I know you'll never let me go."

"Ain't that the truth," said Jackson, with that he and Clair kissed, while the rest of the Monsters embraced their respective significant others.

But then Frankie's I-Coffin chimed with an incoming email. She opened it and was surprised to see that it was from Alegra.

_Dear Frankie,_

_Words alone cannot express the gratitude I feel for you and your friends. What you did proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a true champion of truth, justice, freedom and all that is right and good in existence, the same goes for your friends._

_I must also offer my most sincere apologies for horrific ordeal you went through; first with being dragooned into the fight to recover the Necronomicon, nearly being sacrificed to Yog-Sothoth, dragooned into the mission to Yubaba's Bathhouse and nearly being destroyed. Words alone cannot express how sorry I am to have used you, and your friends, to stop the evils that you stopped._

_Yet evil must be confronted so that good can live in peace, as you are surely aware. Sacrifices must be made, lives must be risked and sometimes lives must be lost, but in the end, so long as there are those whom stand against the darkness, the light will never be extinguished, as you are also surely aware of._

_For someone whom has experienced life for such a short time, the past few days have asked far too much of you. But I must ask you and your friends to be ready to give more of the same. Columbina wasn't lying when she said another crisis was approaching and it will be worse than anything before. When the time comes, you and your friends must be ready to stand firm against the tide of evil._

_I wish I can leave you with more cheerful words, but needless to say, you've done outstandingly. I know that come what may, you and your friends will do your best. And who knows, we might even see each other again someday, hopefully not for a while that is._

_May the light shine on you and your friends,_

_Alegra Wells_

"What was it, Frankie?" Andy asked.

"Oh, nothing," said Frankie as she put her phone away, "just a letter from a friend."

* * *

**…Radiant Garden…**

"I can't believe it," said Aerith as she Yuffie, Leon, Quistis, King Mickey and Queen Minnie stood at one end of the meeting hall in the castle, "it's finally happening."

"All the heroes and Princesses gathered under one roof," said Leon, "what a sight."

"Well, nearly everyone," said Yuffie.

The room was filled with a congregation of heroes and Princesses the likes of which never seen before. Milling about, talking with each other and sampling the foodservice table was Alice, Mulan, Belle and Beast, Tarzan, Ariel, Eric, Melody and Sebastian, Hercules, Jack Sparrow, Jack Skellington, Aurora and Phillip, Aladdin and Jasmine, Cinderella, Snow White, Sara and Ranma, Violet Parr, alias Shielda, Lyra and Pantalaimon, Will and Kirjava, Teddy and Victoire, Nessie and Jacob, Hayner, Pence and Olette.

Nessie and Jacob was with Hayner, Pence and Olette, while Cinderella and Snow White were talking. Aurora and Phillip were together, Jack Sparrow was amazing Melody with his pirating exploits, with Ariel and Eric looking on disapprovingly, while Sebastion looked like he was ready to pitch a fit.

Alice was talking with Violet, Sara and Ranma, Mulan was in a serious discussion with Tarzan and Hercules, Belle and Beast were talking with Teddy and Victoire, Jack Skellington was sampling wine and cheese, while Lyra and Will were avoiding each other, but their daemons kept sneaking glances.

"I'm still disappointed that not everyone showed up," said King Mickey.

"Usagi and Mamoru wanted to sit this one out," said Yuffie, "while Miley's got her own problems. We still never heard from Simba or Peter Pan."

"We still got a great turnout," said Aerith, "and a few more of our friends said they'll be here later on."

"I think we'll get a lot done here," said Leon, "assuming we can ever agree on anything."

"Why so pessimistic?" Quisits asked, "we're here to figure out what to do about Maleficent and Xehanort. It's obvious that whatever differences our friends and allies have, they'll put those differences aside for the greater good."

"Wanna bet?" Leon asked.

"I'll take it," said Quistis, "if this meeting breaks down into petty arguments, I'll do your laundry for a month."

"I'll do the same if the meeting goes well," said Leon. With that they shook hands.

Just then Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka walked in, "They'll be here in a moment, your Majesties," said Daisy to The King and Queen.

"Right," said King Mickey, "then we'd better get things started." He then hopped onto the big table in the middle of the room, "can I have everyone's attention please!" he said in a raised voice, causing everyone to stop and look at him.

"Thanks," said The King as he hopped off of the table, "now, I'd like to thank everyone for coming to this Grand Conclave of the Realms of Light. You all know why we're here, so I won't waste time with unnecessary speeches. As soon as Master Yen Sid and Ansem the Wise come, we'll begin."

"We're already here," said Ansem as he and Yen Sid stood at the doorway.

"Hot dog!" said King Mickey eagerly. He then sat in one of the chairs around the table, "if everyone would take their seats, we can talk some turkey."

* * *

**…someplace else…**

On a distant asteroid orbiting a dark red sun, a single patch of green and blue stood out from the gray rock and dust. This patch of green and blue turned out to be caused by The Lord of Illusions.

The trickster had set up a tropical beach, complete with white sands, blue waves lapping at the shore, clear blue skies with a few cawing seagulls, palm trees and a minibar underneath with two serving girls in grass skirts.

The Lord of Illusions sat on a beach chair under an umbrella, enjoying the ambient sound of waves crashing and the cries of seagulls.

He then saw Columbina walking towards him, "I was wondering when you'd come to see me," the trickster said. He then summoned another beach chair, "please, sit down and enjoy the scenario."

"Thank you," said Columbina as she sat in the chair, "you have a true talent for bringing your imagination to life."

"This is just a trifle," said The Lord of Illusions as he indicated the environment around them, "believe me, I can imagine much grander and more insidious things than this." He then picked up a coconut shell full of wine and sipped some of it through a straw.

"Of that I'm sure," said Columbina.

"Oh, forgive me," said the trickster, "I should have offered you refreshments." He then looked towards the serving girls and waved one over.

"I never drink until after business is concluded," said Columbina, "so I'll get right down to it. We share a few things in common, you and I; chiefly among them is our mutual hatred of Sora and his companions."

"I hate Tess the most," said The lord of Illusions, "but yes, Sora has become rather irksome. But you know why I hate the Keyblade Wielders, what did they ever do to make you so irksome?"

"That's my dirty little secret," said Columbina, "needless to say, our ambitions to destroy the Keyblade Wielders would benefit from our working together."

"I've heard that before," said the trickster, "Brother Courtney came to be with the same song and dance routine. I knew all along that he couldn't be trusted, though I would ever have guessed his true identity. Joseph, Rombie, what a common name."

"He was common to start, but rose to greatness," said Columbina, "I made him that way, just as I made The Enigma Order and Dai-Shocker great. And though Brother Courtney didn't know it, I made those he called his true masters great."

"And just who are his true masters?" The Lord of Illusions asked.

"Another dirty little secret of mine," said Columbina, "needless to say, they are the instigators of the new crisis. They are brewing a storm on the horizon that, though slow approaching, will completely blow away Sora and his companions. When that storm breaks, The Realms of Light shall be permanently extinguished."

"How utterly vile," said The Lord of Illusions, "I'd like to be a part of that storm."

"I was hoping you'd say that," said Columbina, "you may now poor the wine."

The trickster waved over the serving girl, whom poured wine into another coconut shell and handed it to Columbina. "A toast then," said The Lord of Illusions, "to the destruction of The Realms of Light."

"And to the deaths of Sora and everyone he loves," said Columbina, "may their ends be humiliating and drawn out."

"I'll drink to that," said The Lord of Illusions. He and Columbina then touched coconut shells and drank the wine.

* * *

**…Yubaba's Bathhouse…three days later…**

"I feel more relaxed than I can ever remember," said Kairi as she and Sora sat on the balcony outside Yubaba's apartment on the top floor.

"Me too," said Sora, "it's a shame we've got to go home now."

"Yeah, but The King is probably pulling his ears out in worry by now," said Kairi. "Well," she and Sora then stood up, "at least we're going home together."

"And we've got company," said Sora, "I'm kinda surprised that Eugene and Rapunzel wanted to visit Radiant Garden before they go back to their kingdom."

"I'm surprised Chihiro and Haku didn't want to come with us," said Kairi, "but Chihiro said she had to go back to her world and Haku didn't want to argue with her. He just changed into his dragon form, Chihiro got on his back and they just flew away."

"They probably have their own thing," said Sora, "and we've got to get back on track with The Mark of Mastery."

"You think King Mickey would talk with Professor McGonagall and let us go back to Hogwarts for a while?" Kairi asked, "we really didn't learn that much about magic while we were there."

"You'd think we could have just one adventure were we didn't have to save a world or something like that," said Sora.

"Yeah, I think we're kind of owed that by now," said Kairi, "maybe next time."

"Next time," said Sora. With that they went downstairs to the lobby where Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas, Namine, Rapunzel, Eugene, along with their respective horses and Pascal the chamelion, waited.

"And here are the lovely newlyweds," said Tess in a teasing manner, "enjoying your honeymoon?"

"Oh give it a rest!" said Kairi, "we're not really married."

"They way you've been insisting on being alone the past three days, you'd think you were consummating your marriage," said Malcolm.

"We're not married!" said both Sora and Kairi at the same time.

"And stop doing that!" exclaimed Aiden, "nearly all the time we've seen you over the past three days, you're either finishing each other's sentences or speaking as one, it's creepy."

"Your girlfriends speak as one," said Riku.

"Well, Reina and Rita are twins," said Aiden, "and they're not my girlfriends, not yet, at least I hope they will be."

"Speaking of twins," said Sora, "where's…"

"…Yubaba and Zeneba?" Kairi asked.

"Zeneba went back to her house at Swamp Bottom," said Lyn as she walked up to our heroes, "and Yubaba's gone to a meeting with a building contractor. No doubt she'll try to get the repair work done with as little damage to her profits as possible, the cheap old goat."

"And you're still working for her," said Rapunzel.

"I signed a contract," said Lyn, "and I still have my promotion. But believe me, I'm getting out of this place someday."

"I hope you do get out," said Kairi, "I hope you find some place where…"

"…you'll be happy," said Sora.

"Stop that!" said Aiden, "it's really creepy."

"Do they even realize they're acting like this?" Tess asked.

"I'll bet they're doing it to bug us," said Roxas, "they don't finish each others sentences when they're alone."

"How do you know…" said Kairi.

"…what we do when we're alone?" Sora asked.

"You'd be surprised what we can do," said Naminé.

"Yeah, well, at least we're going home," said Aiden.

"Do me a favor," said Lyn, "don't come back for a while. I know Yubaba conned you into signing up for membership, but seriously, you kids are too much trouble to be worth it."

"Trouble?" Riku asked.

"I talked it over with Kamaji and the others," said Lyn, "we're not happy with the chaos you all caused."

"We saved your lives and the bathhouse!" said Aiden, "you should be thanking us."

"Yubaba showed gratitude enough for all of us," said Lyn, "we're not being ungrateful, just cautious. So please, for all our sakes, stay away, at least until the repairs are done and we've had a chance to get Yubaba to agree to disaster insurance."

"A lawyer for you workers wouldn't be a bad idea," said Eugene.

"It's on my to-do list," said Lyn, "now, please get out of here before Yubaba comes back and decides to throw you out."

"We're going already!" said Malcolm. With that Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess summoned their Keyblades, brought them together and summoned a portal.

"Next stop, Radiant Garden," said Riku. With that he, Tess, Malcolm, Aiden, Roxas and Naminé walked through.

"Goodbye, Lyn," said Rapunzel, "and thank you."

"Yeah, whatever," said Lyn. With that she walked back inside.

"Charming lady," said Eugene, "we'll have to send her a fruit basket for her birthday. Well, let's get going."

"You're going to love Radiant Garden," said Kairi, "the city's been through a lot but we're making progress." With that she, Sora, Rapunzel, Eugene, their horses and Pascal, entered the portal.

* * *

Once they exited the portal, arriving at the crystal wastes outside the city limits, they were horrified to see the city in smoldering ruins. Not a building was left intact, with rubble and charred remains all over the place, while an enormous gaping hole was in the side of the castle, along with other holes and forms of damage.

"You call this progress?" Eugene asked.

"Jesus fraking Christ!" exclaimed Kairi.

"Riku said worse things," said Tess as she, Riku, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé walked up to them.

"I don't get it," said Sora as he gazed dumbfounded at the ruined city, "we were gone for a like a week or so."

"A lot can happen in a week," said Aiden.

"Well, I'm going to find out what happened," said Kairi stubbornly, "and help anyone there who need help. Something caused this and I'm going to see that someone pays for it!" with that she hurried towards the ruined city.

"What now?" Rapunzel asked.

"We go after her, of course!" said Sora as he, then Riku and the others, hurried after Kairi. They caught up with her at The Postern. The area was empty of people, but they saw that there was still a fire burning in The Market. Our heroes hurried to the next area and saw Yuffie, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Sara, Ranma and Violet helping a team of firefighters putting out a burning building. They all looked as if they had just been through something horrific; ripped and singed clothing, cuts and bruises that were in various stages of healing.

"Are you sure everyone's out of there!?" Tidus shouted to Ranma.

"I just checked, the building's clear," said Ranma, whom along with Violet and Sara, were covered in soot and ashes, while Violet was coughing a bit and Sara was drinking from a large bottle of water.

"Thank goodness," said Wakka, "we were lucky with this one."

"Can we save the building?" Tidus asked as a window in the building blew out with a gush of flames.

"I don't know," said Selphie, "I don't think anything can be saved in this entire God forsaken city. It's almost like this world is cursed."

"SELPHIE!" Kairi shouted.

"Kairi?!" Selphie asked as she, Tidus, Wakka, Yuffie, Sara, Ranma and Violet saw Sora and the others.

"Hey, Sora!" said Ranma.

"We didn't expect you any time soon," said Sara.

"Believe me, it's worse than it looks," said Violet. At that time the building collapsed, spewing flames and smoke high in the air.

"From where I'm standing, it looks pretty awful," said Eugene.

"Selphie," said Kairi as she walked up to her, "I'm only going to ask this once. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?"

"I kinda knew you'd ask that," said Selphie. "Well, it's a long story."

"Figures," muttered both Sora and Kairi.

**The end of Volume 6.**

_And that's that, fellow readers and writers! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did making it. But fear not, Sora and the others will return, but not for a while. Next volume will change perspectives as we find out just what happened to Radiant Garden as a crew of unexpected heroes arrive in the Realms of Light to partake in a battle that will change the course of destiny._

**Coming Soon:**

_Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger_

**In**

**Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Wielder**

**Special Volume: Zangyack Attacks**

_See you then!_


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